


What Lies in Between

by Demona424



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-02-19 02:05:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2370425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demona424/pseuds/Demona424
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katniss has always found happiness in the quiet little life. She had her sister, her good friend Cinna, and a wonderful job as a director at the Conservatory of Flowers so she never really searched for more. At the Conservatory’s Anniversary Gala, along comes Peeta to shake things up. He's cocky, charming, and determined to get what he wants causing the walls around her to crumble leaving her more vulnerable than she ever wanted to feel. But will it be the same for him or is it just a game?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Trouble comes in a Pretty Package

**Author's Note:**

> This was a story that was meant for Prompts in Panem (Day: Purple) but unfortunately I got way to carried away with the story and was slower than I thought I would be. I decided to start posting it anyway even though the challenge is long over. Thanks to my ever patient beta Diana_Flynn who keeps the cattle prod on me to finish.

Prologue - Trouble Comes in a Pretty Package

"Katniss, how about these pansies over here, did you want to use them?" For a soft-spoken woman, Annie sure could yell across a long distance if she wanted to her. She was almost a hundred yards away from where Katniss was working yet her assistant manager's voice rang loud and clear, even with the noisy crew working all around them. 

"We're good over here! We can save those for the children's garden, the kids will love planting those," Katniss yelled back to her. Annie gave her a quick nod of the head before starting to clear up the rest of tools and plant boxes left over with the rest of their staff. Katniss took a deep breath and looked around her, everything finally looked perfect. Even though they changed the hundreds of beddings around the Conservatory of Flowers every few months to match the season, she never seemed to get tired about how amazingly beautiful the grounds looked once everything was in place. 

Every day she wanted to pinch herself for landing such a wonderful job. When she decided to get a graduate degree in Horticulture studies, she earned herself quite a few scornful glances and barely held in expressions of pity. Everybody was pretty sure she would leave a pile of debt and no job at the end of all her hard work. She didn't care what they thought, because she couldn't think of anything better to do with her life then helping things cultivate and grow, creating landscapes of wonder and beauty. So she proved them all wrong and here she was, the Manager of Landscaping and Nursery Management, leading a whole staff of gardeners and interns for the premiere greenhouse and museum for the country of Panem. 

She prided herself on the work she did, and everything was meticulously placed, but it was even more important that everything looked perfect this time. It would just be the public coming to visit, tonight was the Conservatory Gala anniversary and benefit. If all went well they would have enough donations to expand the children's program, renovate the science center and build a new greenhouse, that was how much 'big money' was coming. As their event planner Effie put kept pounding into them, it was a "big big day" and they all needed the gardens to look spectacular and breathtaking. 

With an exhausted sigh, she pulled off her gloves and shoved them into her back pocket. They had done as much as they could, now it was up to the executives running the Conservatory to do all the fund raising stuff, she was glad she didn't actually have to do any of that shit. Brown nosing the rich elite of the Captiol was pretty much on the top of her list of nightmare jobs. She was ready for a long hot shower, some comfy clothes and most importantly no bra. Even though she wore a sports bra, she was ready to toss it off and be free. Not to mention, a nice big glass of wine. After all the work they had put in this last week, getting the grounds ready, she deserved a break. 

As she headed back to her office, she counted off all the things she needed to finish outside and administratively before she could head home. She was so much in her head, she didn't realize that her path was blocked until she smacked into something hard with an "Ooff!" stumbled back and was so close to landing on her ass before large hands grabbed her arms to steady her. The first thing instantly out of her mouth was an "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention..." but she couldn't finish because before her was the nicest pair of lips she had ever seen. The lower lip was nice and plump, so close and just really kissable. She glanced up, heat rushing to her cheeks as she caught herself, but didn't fair any better. His eyes were so piercing, she instantly felt embarrassed, as if she was completely exposed. The color though, they were so blue they were almost as violet as the Viola odorata she just planted an hour ago. She couldn't help but step back step back suddenly as she attempted to shake some sense into her. Feeling squishy notions over lips and eyes, was the very last thing she needed.

He let out a chuckle and said, "Oh, don't be frightened little mouse. I won't harm you." A smirk played on his lips and he he seemed highly amused at her awkwardness. Well, she was not amused and any prior romantic notions were killed dead at being called a rodent. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, titled her head, and tapped her foot impatiently.

"What are you doing back here? This part of the grounds is closed to the public. You can leave by going out right through there," she pointed out to him.

"Actually, I'm..." but before he could continue, he was cut off by somebody approaching behind him.

"Katniss! There you are! I was just looking for you. You look lovely as usual." A bright smile spread across her face when she saw who it was. On the whole she avoided the execs and their board as much as possible, but she made an exception for Cinna. He had been a part of the foundation for over ten years, and somehow he was able to get past her shy nature to become one of her favorite people. It didn't hurt that he was a complete sweetheart and pretty damn good looking to. He quickly swept her up into a strong hug despite her protests.

"Cinna! You look impeccable as usual and I'm a gross mess. Look, I got dirt all over your shirt," she said, as she tried fruitlessly to wipe off a dark dirt smudge from his jacket.

"Like I care about that, when I see my favorite person. I see you found our special guest, Pr..." 

"Peeta, you can call me Peeta," he interrupted, sticking out his hand. She reluctantly gave her hand to him, and he gave her a warm squeeze with both of his a charming smile reaching all the way to his eyes. She slid her hand away quickly, before he did something weird like kiss it, which he seemed to be intent on doing and tried to ignore the tingle in her fingers. "So are you a gardner here?"

"Oh, she's more than just a gardner, and she's more than just a manager. She makes this place sing," Cinna answered before she could, which was probably for the best since she felt her offense rising. "I was just giving him a private tour of the grounds so he can see it's full beauty before tonight's event when he won't have time to appreciate it," Cinna said proudly.

"Well, this is as good a time as any. But wait until you see it this evening. I worked with Beetee on a graduated lighting scheme. As the sun sets, the lights around the grounds will come up. It will look amazing. I wish I could see it's full effect," she gave a little sigh before she continued. "You should probably avoid the area where the tent is going up, because you'll probably put Effie in a tizzy. As you know she doesn't want anybody to see the work behind the magic."

"Too late," Cinna answered with a laugh, "I thought she was going to have a heart attack when she saw us walking around. If it wasn't for Peeta here, she would have thrown my ass out, board member or not. But I wanted to talk to you about something else. I was hoping you'd be my date for the Gala tonight," he asked her hopefully.

"Oh Cinna, no, I couldn't...just no. And what about Portia? Besides tickets are $1500 a pop, that's too rich for my blood. This event is just not my thing. Have fun though," she protested while she backed away from the duo, intent on escaping before he asked her again. 

"Katniss, please come with me, don't make me beg. Portia says the pregnancy is making her feel like a beached whale and refuses to join me. I promise that I'll be a good date. I'll be on my best of behavior and besides, now I'll owe you. Baby sitting duty for Prim any time." The problem with Cinna was that he was just too kind, he and Portia had given her so much besides their friendship. And he was really so good at pleading, that she couldn't say no. She looked back at forth between Cinna and the stranger standing besides him. Peeta seemed to be waiting in anticipation as much as Cinna was, and it made her indescribably nervous.

"Okay, I'll go, but Prim will have to stay with Portia tonight. And you better stick with me all night, but I can't handle talking to these people."

"I'm these people, does that mean you don't want to speak to me?" Peeta said in mock offense, clutching his chest but humor lighting his eyes.

"Yes," was her simple and short answer causing both men to bark in laughter and her scowl to just deepen.

"Well, then, we'll just have to dance then, no speaking required. No arguments," he said cockily and she resisted the urge to argue with him further. It would be easy enough just to avoid him all night.

"Kat, just come by the house early to drop by Prim and Portia will help you get ready since you'll be doing this as a favor to me. And you know Rue has been dying to have a sleepover with Prim anyway." 

"Oh my god, Prim won't stop about it," she said with laughter in her voice. "She's going to be over the moon."

"Great!" Cinna said with such enthusiasm, she couldn't help but smile. "I better finish taking Peeta here around before I get into more trouble."

Cinna gave her a soft squeeze on her shoulder before leading Peeta away. As she watched them go, she couldn't help but notice his strong shoulder and back underneath his snug shirt and was grateful that she wouldn't see him after tonight because he just screamed trouble. And just when she thought that, he turned around and said, "Don't forget, I get the first dance. Don't worry, you won't regret it," and with a slight wink he turned the corner and was gone. She was going to kill Cinna for dragging her into this.


	2. The World Goes Spinning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning - there be smut ahead! This is the chapter that derailed my efforts to get the story on PiP. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who left comments and kudos. And as always muchas gracias to my wonderful beta Diana_Flynn.

The World Goes Spinning

They were everywhere, she felt like she was surrounded and she couldn't help but question how she got herself into this mess. This definitely was not her scene. They were all so shiny and pretty, not to mention rich, so rich. The elite of the Capitol had shown up for this Gala and she definitely did not fit in. Portia did her best to help her blend, she was pretty sure that the dress Portia gave her to wear was at least half a month's salary. Since Portia was the designer, so at least Katniss didn't feel like she owed her, just as long as she gave it back without spilling anything on it. Portia didn't care, but she sure did. 

The dress was exquisite, Portia said she was going for a slinky 40's look so the silk scoop next draped a little too low on her chest and the slit at the bottom went a little too high. Not to mention the bodice fit so tightly she was pretty sure her ribs were moved out of place. To top it off, her hair was pinned up on one side with a broach leaving her dark hair to cascade in finger waves over her right shoulder. Portia, Cinna, and Prim insisted she looked gorgeous, but she felt like a complete fraud ready to be exposed for the imposter she was at any moment. Oh God, why had she agreed to do this again?

Cinna patted her hand that he held under his arm and gave her a warm comforting smile as if he knew that she was ready to bolt at any moment, which she most definitely was, then he pulled her further into the main part of the old Conservatory greenhouse. Beetee had done a fabulous job and all the flowers and plants were lit up to display their natural beauty. The food circulating around looked amazing, but she was too nervous to swallow anything. But she could drink the champagne so she took liberal amounts of it to ease the tension. She was especially nervous about seeing 'him' again but he had yet to make an appearance.

Cinna took her around the room, effortlessly introducing her to the richly dressed patrons all gilded and fluffed up with importance. She was not much for talking but when it had to do with anything plants, she was comfortable speaking so she focused on that whenever she was drawn into conversation. By the end of the first half hour, she was already exhausted and she had to pee, so she reluctantly broke away from Cinna and headed to the restroom to freshen up. 

As she looked in the bathroom mirror, she took a big breath to steel herself for going back out there, and shook her head at her silliness. It really wasn't so bad, she was just being overdramatic and she should just try to make the effort to enjoy herself for once. How many times can a gal be Cinderella? She took a deep breath and turned around to leave when two girls came in tittering with excitement.

"Can you imagine! I can't believe Prince Alexander showed up! This doesn't seem like his type of thing, it's so dull. Apparently his father has a hard on for plants or something so he was like made to come. But whatever, he's such a man slut, either one of us might actually have a chance at royalty," said one girl as she plastered on even more red lipstick on her already sticky lips.

"Or maybe both of us!" answered the other before they fell into a fit of giggles.

She groaned silently in annoyance. She couldn't believe one of Panem's royals was actually coming to their little Gala. Everything she heard about them said "royal pain in the ass' also known as spoiled rotten and entitled. She tried to avoid any information or media about them that came her way, so basically she changed the channel a lot since the whole of Panem couldn't get enough of them. His presence also explained the abnormal amount of security for the event, she was surprised they even let her in.

Unfortunately by the time she got back to the party, more people had arrived and she completely lost track of Cinna, who was most likely still networking. She balanced on her tippy toes to peer around the room, but even in her large heels, she still felt too short. Just as she spied a man that could be him, she felt a tingle run up her spine, the type where you knew somebody was staring at you. She turned around slowly and there Peeta stood, the same sly smirk on his face before he raised his glass to her. 

He was surrounded by people, like he was the star attraction. Some looked like they were friends, others looked like fan girls begging for attention, including the two girls she saw in the bathroom. Why she didn't have the foresight to hide behind the ficus benjamina was beyond her. She reluctantly gave him a half-wave and was about to turn and walk away in search for Cinna when he put his hand up indicating for her to wait. He leaned over to whisper something to a striking man next to him before detaching the females on his arms and striding over to her, his smirk turning into a bright warm smile. 

She reluctantly admitted that he looked oh so fine in his suit, it fit him so impeccably you could tell it was made specifically for him. Her palms itched to smooth over his perfectly accentuated broad shoulders. She would almost be in danger of falling for him if he still had the wild curls on his head, instead of the slick back gelled hair that subtracted some of his charm. Her first assumption about him was that he was just a trust-fund baby, a rich prick only out for fun but she hated how people make assumptions about her so as he neared her, she resolved to for once give him a chance. It couldn't hurt to be friendly to him for one night. Right?

"Why Katniss, you definitely don't look like a little mouse tonight. You look simply stunning dressed all in white. Exquisite. You're being unfair to the other women in the room." This time when he took her hand, he did actually kiss it and he left the imprint of his lips tingling on the edges of her fingers. She hated to admit that her heart actually beat a little faster and a flush rose in her cheeks so bright he probably could see it, to her embarrassment and annoyance. 

"Laying it on pretty thick, aren't we? If you think false flattery will get you anywhere then you're dead wrong," her answer came out more amused than snide and Peeta's eyes sparkled in response. He let out a warm chuckle and squeezed her hand a little tighter.

"That's what I like about you. You're never easily impressed. I find it quite refreshing." It was long past the time where he should have let go of her hand, but he maintained a tight hold on and she found that she didn't want him to let it go.

"You 'find it quite refreshing', wow, you really are from the Capitol, I didn't think anyone actually spoke like that," she said with just a little crack of a smile on her lips.

"Well we are civilized over at the Capitol unlike you neanderthals out here in the sticks. Look at this place, it's terrible! All this natural beauty. Where's the neon lights? The garish architecture? The gaudy flashy people?!" This time she did let out a laugh and when their eyes locked she felt a connection blossom that she had not been expecting. She was unsure whether to be be excited by it or frightened, probably a little bit of both. 

"However are you enduring this? I guess I better go and let you get back to your cultured friends before you catch a case of the 'normals.' You know, where you drink beer instead of champagne, eat burgers, wear T-shirts, have a job, maybe even get dirty occasionally," she said before turning around to walk back into the crowd, trying to extricate her hand from his. As she predicted, he wouldn't let her go that easily. His unwavering grasp tugged her back and somehow she was closer to him then before. 

"Well normal looks really attractive on you, especially when you're covered in dirt. If you're contagious, I want to catch it." She didn't think it was possible for her blush to deepen but considering how much heat she felt radiate from her cheeks, she was positive there was no amount of coverup to hide the red in her cheeks. Of course he just had to bring her hand up to his lips again and any sense or reason flew out the window at the smolder she saw in his eyes under his lowered lids. Oh, he was good, very good, and the longer she was in his presence the more she feel her walls dropping. So when she saw Cinna heading their way she felt like she had been given a blessed reprieve.

"There you two are. Everybody is just getting seated for dinner. Peeta, of course you'll be sitting at the head table with President Plutarch, Effie here will show you the way." Katniss used this opportunity to separate herself from Peeta and get her heart back in order again, jumping behind Cinna. Before he had a chance to respond, Effie escorted him away while she chattered a mile a minute, her puffy gold hair bobbing animatedly. Cinna tucked Katniss' hand under his arm and followed at a more leisurely pace. 

"You two looked like you were getting along," he said with amusement lacing his voice.

"No need for innuendo, I know what you're thinking, and it was nothing. He's just amusing himself with this little mouse. I'm sure he'll forget me as soon as Boobs McGee over there flirts with him," she answered pointing to a busty blonde in a shimmering silver sequin gown who was spilling out of her dress.

Cinna let out a low chuckle and shook in head in amused consternation. "That's Cashmere Lattimore, her daddy has billions. Don't forget, as much as we hate it, we need these people. So how about for now, we just keep a running list of absurdities in our head and later on, when this whole farce is over, we can compare."

"You're on Cinna. And I will try to contain myself. 'Try' being the operative word. It's just so hard! Some of these people are just begging for a running commentary. Look at feather lady over there! Does she want to take flight?" They tried to contain their giggles but when Cinna snorted, they both lost it and earned quite a few disapproving looks from those around them.

When Cinna was able to catch his breath, his eyes suddenly turned serious and he stopped her just before they reached the tent nestled in the rose garden with all the tables artfully decorated with gorgeous flowers accentuated with a soft lighting design. "Katniss, I just want you to be careful. I can't get a read on him. He seems to be two different people. But you know all about him, so I don't know why I'm telling you this."

"Cinna, like I said, he's probably already forgotten all about me, you have nothing to worry about," she said brushing him off, but no sooner had the words came out then the man in question came striding over to them.

"Cinna, I'm going to steal away our little flower. I've already made my apologies to Plutarch. Don't worry I'll keep her safe and sound," he declared, leaving no room for argument. He held out his arm confidently to Katniss and she hesitated for a long moment. She looked into the concerned eyes of Cinna and she knew that he was silently telling her that it was up to her. She hesitantly put her hand in the crook of his arm; ultimately it was curiosity that won out over reason. Her silent assent brightened his already cheerful countenance, and before she could back out, he was already tugging her away from the party. He didn't stop until he pulled her to the side of the building where the staging area was with all the catering.

"What is going on? Don't you want to go to dinner?" Katniss asked in confusion.

"I'm definitely hungry, but I'm not ready for insipid conversation with dull people who want to kiss my ass. Now where is she?" Before she could ask who he was referring to, Effie, popped up, as cheerful as ever with a waiter behind her who was puffing slightly from exertion.

"There you are! I got John here to pull everything you requested. It's all in that basket. Would you like him to carry it for you?"

"You are the best Miss Effie. I'm eternally grateful to you. You can give the basket to me, I got it from here." He kissed Effie on the cheek, causing her to go all a flutter, Katniss had never seen her so puffed up and preening, like some colorful tropical bird. What was it about this man that seemed to have everyone falling over themselves for him?

He took the heavy basket, grabbed her hand and started walking further away and instinctively she knew they were going to the lily ponds. Beetee had planned on putting twinkling lights into the blossoming cherry trees by the pond but as they came into to view, the sight took her breath away. The ethereal trees looked like they were covered in fireflies, not the glass tubes coursing with electricity that they really were. The glow bounced and danced off the water and with the strains of the orchestra in the distance, it was as if she stepped into another world. He pulled a blanket from the top of the basket and spread it by the water under two of the trees. With a sigh he proceeded to kick off his socks and shoes, take off his jacket before sitting down cross-legged. He offered up his hand to her and she hesitated for just a moment before carefully putting her own in his large warm one and he tugged her down to plop next to him. She slipped off her own heels and it was nice to wiggle her own free toes.

"So what's this all about?" she ask curiously.

"Can't I just talk to a beautiful girl?" At her raised eyebrow, he let out a sheepish laugh and tried to explained further, "Okay, I know, laying it on thick again. I just... I don't know. I've been to so many of these damn events. It's always the same, a lot of small talk, a lot of people kissing ass, I sit at the head table and everybody gawks. You're refreshing, you don't really care who I am. I just want to have a real conversation for once and not have to laugh at stupid jokes, smiling inanely. Plus, I wasn't kidding about the beautiful part. Because you are breathtakingly beautiful. So will you allow it? Will you allow me your time?"

"Well considering my own feelings on the Gala, I'll allow it," she answered with a small shy smile, brushing off his compliment. "But answer me this, who are you? I feel like I'm missing something big."

"You don't know who I am? Really?" he asked bewildered, and it was clear form the expression on his face he was sincerely confused.

"Nope!" she answered, popping the p.

"Well, maybe you'll know me better my full name, Alexander Peter Mellark the Third. Friends and family just call me Peeta for short. Does that help?"

"Oh my god, I'm such an idiot. I thought you looked familiar. You're a fucking royal. I'm such an idiot." Katniss fell back against the blanket and threw her hands over her eyes. She couldn't believe how blind she had been. Maybe Prim was right, maybe she should pay more attention to what was going on in the outside world. If she was red with embarrassment before that was nothing as compared to now.

She resisted as he tried to pull her hands off her face but she finally gave up and when she opened up her eyes, he had a cheshire grin spread across his face as he hovered above her. 

"Oh, don't look so smug," she said, "I actually have a life that doesn't revolve around celebrities."

"Oh, I'm not being smug," he laughed, "It's just, I guess refreshing. You didn't like me because of the real me. I'm used to people not liking me because of whatever perceived notions they have about royalty."

She leaned up on her elbows and bit at the bottom of her lip sheepishly, "Well, I never said I didn't like you. You are just a lot to take. And that is not an exaggeration. I don't know you enough to like or not like you."

"How about now, do you like me any better?" he said as he sat back on his heels, just a little bit of hope tainting his voice and his eyes.

"Maybe, I don't know yet. Guess we'll find out once the real you makes an appearance," she challenged. And this time it was her that let out the laugh at the look of dismay on his face, but his warm laughter joined her earthy chuckles.

"Well, I guess we should start with champagne then, get us both warmed up a little." He helped her to sit all the way up before pouring the drink in the flutes and taking out all the food that was in the basket. It was all so perfectly packed, it seemed like this whole thing was planned. 

"So tell me about yourself, about your life," she asked while munching on salad. And that is how the conversation really got started. They talked about nothing and everything. He told her about his life in the Capitol, the parties he went to, all the countries and events he constantly had to visit. She couldn't help but feel that her life was small in comparison, but yet he seemed captivated about every detail she told him about her little life. She found herself opening up about things she thought were permanently locked away, from her deceased father to her withdrawn overworked mother. He in turn also opened up about his strained relationship with his own parents, how nothing he seemed to do could be right by them, so he pushed the limits in his behavior constantly. The conversation flowed around them as the sun set in the horizon and the night took over with the noises of the night as their own music. They paid no attention to the soft chatter of voices at dinner and the instrumental group playing in the distance, everything else seemed to fall away.

Eventually as their food disappeared and the fullness took over, they ended up lying flat on their backs, heads close together. Her eyes couldn't fight their heaviness as comfort and sleepiness took over. His left hand gravitated towards her right and as he caught it, he played with her fingers, soft despite all the hard work she put them through. A comfortable silence descended over them as they contemplated the stars starting to make an appearance across the sky. She had never felt so content, so happy, and so scared.

"Seems like dinner is done and the dancing part of the evening has started. Do you want to join them? I'm sure you're itching to get back," she finally said, breaking their silence.

"Nah, I like it here just fine. But I do think we should dance. Come on," he said as he hefted himself up and then reached down to pull her up beside him, causing her to let out a groan of disapproval.

"But I'm so comfortable down here," she whined a little and he wanted to kiss that luscious pout right off of her face. But he didn't let her protestations deter him and he pulled her unresisting loose as a noodle body up, and right into his arms. As she laid her head on his shoulder, she had never felt so relaxed, almost like she was home. She just melted into the circle of his warm strong arms, her right hand laying gently in his left while his other hand smoothed down her back, occasionally playing with the low scoop of cloth swaying at her back. 

"So do you like me any better?" he breathed into her ear almost like a kiss. 

A shiver went down her spine, as she answered, "Maybe. I guess you're not so bad. But the jury is still out."

"Oh that's not good enough at all, what can I do to convince you," he said as he swayed them back and forth in time with the orchestra playing in the distance. And suddenly she felt his lips touch her neck and then again and then again. She couldn't help the groan of approval that left her lips.

"Okay, maybe more of that," she murmured so softly that he almost didn't hear her.

"I will gladly oblige," he answered and the low husky tone of his voice went straight to her stomach as a surprising warmth began to build that she wasn't expecting.

His lips traveled across her cheek, down to her chin then to her other cheek. This time her groan was in disapproval as he deftly avoided where she craved him most. She wanted to taste those perfect lips, breathe him in, feel the wetness of his tongue against her own. She felt possessed, out of body, and he had barely touched her. Instead his lips traveled to her forehead and he left a soft lingering kiss before pulling completely away. She swayed on her feet and blinked in surprise at the sudden emptiness around her.

"Wait? What?" she fumbled out, confused as she blinked up at him, clearing the fog in front of her eyes. 

"Katniss Everdeen, you are completely overwhelming, and I don't know what I'm liable to do if I keep that up. I'm a bad bad man and you look ripe for the picking." The intensity behind his words took her breath away. His eyes were so dark she could barely see a ring of his violet tinged blue. He rhythmically clenched and unclenched his hands, breathing hard, a man on the verge of losing control. This was the moment to walk away, go home to her nice safe comfortable bed, and usually she would, but today, today she wanted to lose control with him.

"Just shut up," she said before she surged forward and brought her hands into his hair, urging his head down towards her upturned lips and when they finally touched her own, her whole body seemed to ignite. There was not one bit of her that wasn't torched. She had no control of her fingers gripping his soft blonde curls. She didn't have control of her tongue that thrust roughly against his own as they both tried to get possession of the other. So she definitely didn't have control of her body as it undulated against him, already addicted to how he felt pressed against her. When Peeta's fingers dug into the soft flesh of her bottom, pressing her harder against his erection she threw her head back and gasped for breath. Her tongue ran over her lips and never had they felt so plump, almost like they were ready to burst. One possessive hand traveled up her torso causing her stomach to tighten and her body to squirm before it landed on her covered breast. Instead of squeezing, his fingers softly played and caressed just teasing. 

Peeta dipped his head back down and left small kiss after small kiss on her lips, just wanting one more taste. He rolled his forehead against her own and gripped her tighter against him, lifting her on her toes. 

"Katniss, what the hell have you done to me." He took a deep cleansing breath before he nuzzled the soft sensitive patch of her neck. "You make the stars shine brighter, my blood pulse like a rushing river, my brain lose all sense of time and reality. Either you walk away right now, or I'm taking you back with me, it's your choice," he then whispered into the shell of her ear.

Normally words like that would make her laugh at their absurdity but they didn't, instead her chest tightened to the point she wasn't sure she could breathe. Her fingers reflexively clutched at him tighter and her head fell forward on it's own accord as she tried to gather her muddled thoughts. Did she really have a choice though? Because it sure felt like she had no other option than to be with him. If she walked away she would always have that 'What if' following her wherever she went. Besides, she wanted to, this was the first time she really felt alive and she wasn't ready to let that feeling go yet.

She pulled completely away from him, but seeing the disappointment fill his face and the sigh lift his shoulders, she stepped back quickly to pull his lower slightly pouting lip in between her her own. Just as fast she moved away again leaving him slightly confused. She bent down and grabbed her phone from her clutch and quickly sent out a text.

"I just needed to tell Cinna that I'm leaving. I don't want him to worry about me. I told him I'm feeling sick." Her voice trembled a little as she spoke. A little bit from nervousness, but mostly from the excitement that was still coursing through her.

A smile brightened his face and suddenly she knew what he looked like when he was a little boy when he got something he really wanted. He quickly gathered up the remains of the picnic, his jacket and shoes before offering his hand to her. She picked up her own things, hesitated but for a moment, her fingers trembling before she closed them around his hand. In that moment she realized how intimate it was to hold somebody else's hand palm to palm, fingers intertwined, heat building between each other. She didn't think she held somebody else's hand like this since Prim was 12 years old. Even with the occasional boyfriend she really didn't pay much attention to the gesture. 

As they walked to the gala entrance, they stole little looks at each other, saying nothing while his hand played at the dip at the small of her back. Her glance was a little shy but tempered heat still shined in her eyes. As she looked at him, a shiver went down her spine as she realized that his expression could only be described as greedy. Good or bad, she knew that he wanted to consume her. She was hoping that she wouldn't have to go past the brightly lit tent that held the Gala festivities, but just as they were about 200 yards away, Peeta stopped and a large man stepped out of the shadows. He dropped her hand to speak to with the man in hushed tones, just out of reach of her sharp ears. When Peeta was done he swiftly came back to her and wrapped her up in his arms.

"That's Boggs, head of my security detail. I didn't want to leave through the front since there is a lot of media out there right now. The limo is going to meet us by the back gate. Although I might need a little help from you getting there, I pretty much get lost every time I make my way around this place."

She let out a bright laugh and said, "It's okay, just look pretty, I'll lead the way your majesty."

"Oh don't you start with that," he said, a little frown forming in the middle of his brows but then a mischievous smile formed on his lips. Before she could react his fingers were playfully tickling her and laughs were escaping her mouth. She twisted away from his searching hands and ran in the direction they needed to be, his laughter and footsteps following her. When they got close to the back driveway he caught up to her and snatched her from behind, wrapping his big arms around her. He playfully nuzzled the side of her neck and her arms went up and behind her to grab and pull his hair, holding him down against her. The gel had long ago lost it's hold because of her wandering fingers and she loved the feel of the soft waves and curls. His own hands travelled up her quivering stomach up to her breasts, but this time instead of softly teasing they grabbed on, kneading and working them while he surged against her from behind.

The lights of the approaching limo broke her out of the moment and she realized that they were still technically in a public space even though there really wasn't anybody around them, you never knew when someone could be lurking in a shadow. She pushed off of him slightly embarrassed that she let herself get so carried away. He groaned in disappointment so she grabbed his hand, gave it a small squeeze and leaned up for a small kiss on his soft lips. That wasn't enough for him and he pulled her in for more, coaxing deeper kisses until their lips are moving against each other urgently. The car finally came to a stop and he pushed her towards it almost desperately and she landed against the car next to the back door. The heat of the day radiated off the black car competing with the heat radiating off his strong muscles as he pressed into her. His hand blindly stumbled around briefly as he looked for the door handle before he finally found it and opened it up triumphantly. He reluctantly pulled away from her and slid inside first before offering his hand to her as he smiled brightly up at her. Her heart beat out of her chest as their palms slid together and before she could rethink her decision he tugged her inside so that she fell sideways on to his lap. Laughing so hard at his actions her fingers slackened, dropping her shoes and clutch to the bottom of the car, completely forgotten.

Although she was grateful at how beautiful this dress made her feel she had never hated it so much than that moment. It was so tight she was unable to move like she wanted to. She tried to move her legs to straddle him but they were restrained by the silky barrier. She pulled away in frustration and let out an, "Argh!".

"Here, let me see if I can help out with that," he said between deep heavy kisses. His right hand moved down and started pulling the skirt of the dress up. Every few inches he would stop and caress the skin he found there leaving goose bumps in his wake. After an agonizing wait he finally pushed the silk all the way above her legs giving her the freedom to lift up and do a shimmy so that he could push all the cloth above her bottom. 

"Success!" he exclaimed, "And look at what I've found, treasure." His fingers continued their path up her inner thighs creating unknown patterns, all the while teasing and taunting. She started to squirm as wetness started to pool between her lips. Automatically her legs tightened, trapping his hand between. He pulled away from her mouth and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"You're going to have to let me go and open up if you're going to let me explore any further," he said.

"Sorry," she answered, a blush on her cheeks. "I guess, ummm, well, I haven't done this in awhile...so...yeah." Her blush deepened even more as she stumbled over her words unable to make a coherent sentence.

"Well, let me help you out with that." He pushed his hand forward, forcing her to loosen her thighs eached the soft sensitive skin on that edged her underwear. His tongue tasted a long stretch of her neck as his fingers pushed against. His large hand cupped her, his palm putting delicious pressure, while his finger tapped against the small stretch of lace that still covered her. 

"Look at you and your pretty lace. I wish I had a better of view from behind. You ass must look so luscious stretching it out. I was expecting to find you in skimpier underwear."

"Ugh!" Was the only thing that she could get out while his fingers kept up their rhythm, distracting her. She licked her lips, took in a deep breath and tried again, "Sorry to disappoint you, not all of us are thong girls," she finally said.

"Oh no, you're not disappointing me at all. Actually it's quite wonderful. I would love to see you come in your pretty lace, getting it all wet, straining against it, seeing only bits and pieces of you." His eyes closed halfway lost in the images that he created and then he pulled her head up to him again, tightly gripping her hair as his tongue plunged deeply into her mouth, exploring and taking. Her legs fell all the way open and he used it as an opportunity to grab the top of her panties and pull them all the way down to her knees. He was too impatient to pull them any further and opted to move his hand back to the exposed curls. Instead of the soft exploration that had proceeded, he plunged two finger between her lips stopping just inside her while his thumb pressed firmly against her clit. In a flash, energy pulsed through her body, jerking her limbs as a small orgasm caught her by complete surprise.

It must have caught him by surprise too because he pulled back, eyes wide and said, "Wow, that was fast. I wasn't expecting that."

"Me neither," she breathed heavily. 

"Fuck me Katniss, you are amazing. You've got me so hard right now." He brought the hand that was clutching his shirt up to his mouth and gave it a light kiss on her knuckles before he brought it down and pushed it against the hardness that was straining against the fabric of his pants. As he thrust his hips against her hand, her breath quickened and she bit the bottom of her lip, suppressing a moan. When he let go of her hand, she didn't let up on the pressure and he gave her a wicked grin before he moved his hand back to her panties that lingered at her knees and pulled them the rest of the way down. Instead of tossing them down to the floor like she expected, he crumpled them into a ball and shoved them into his pants pocket.

"Those are mine now," is all he said before he brought his lips back to the juncture of her neck, licking and sucking the skin he found there, his nostrils breathing out hot heavy air into her ear.

She realized that her legs were completely free now so she lifted up and straddled his waist like she wanted to do in the beginning. He thrust up his into her and she could feel the seam of his pants rub against her in the most delicious way. She felt like she couldn't breathe and it was like he read her mind because his hands came up behind her and brought zipper of her dress down. 

She took a deep breath in at the luxurious feeling of freedom out of the confinement. He deftly unsnapped her bra before rubbing his hands up her skin to the thick straps of her dress and taking them down her shoulders exposing breasts to him. Breath shuddered out of her body as air hit her sensitive nipples, causing them to tighten. He bent down to take one in his mouth and she relished the feeling of his dexterous tongue for a few minutes before she pushed him off her almost violently leaving him confused. Understanding dawned on his face when, with shaking fingers, she started unbuttoning his shirt. He let her take control while occupying himself by rubbing one hand up and down her thigh while the other parted her lips and rubbed her clit gently. This distraction only served to make her progress much slower than it normally would. 

When she finally got all the buttons undone her hands stopped shaking when she was able to explore the planes of his chest. This was a man who had a liberal amount of time to work out and he was definitely the most beautiful man she had ever been with. She surged against him, unable to stay away from the call of his lips any longer and they felt so wonderfully plump and used between her own. 

He pulled far enough away to say mumble against her lips, " I need you to take out my cock."

She nodded her head, unable to form words and moved her hand down and fumbled with the button of his pants before finally getting it free and bringing the zipper down. He lifted his hips as she brought his underwear down low enough so that his cock could bounce free. She stared at it fascinated, hand just hovering above not quite touching, making him twitch in anticipation. Unable to take the waiting any longer he surged his hips upward and into the soft palm of her hands. Snapping out of her paralysis she softly stroked his sensitive skin, relishing the power she had over him as she deftly moved her fingers up and down. Peeta moved his fingers out of her, using her arousal as lubrication, their fingers playing over each other as they gave him pleasure.

"I don't think I can wait," he groaned in pleasure. He reached over and searched a compartment briefly before he pulled out a condom. Her brow scrunched together, a small frown forming on her lips but before she could let out her question he thrust in two finger again, working them in and out powerfully and the only thing that left her lips was a grunt. After a few minutes of working her thoroughly, he tore the condom open and quickly rolled it down. His large hands enclosed around her waist and lifted her up above her cock and it tapped eagerly at her entrance. They paused a moment there, their gazes locked. Her fingers dug deep into his shoulders and it was the only permission he needed so he brought her down and thrust up deep inside of her. 

When she adjusted to his wide girth she made tentative movements up and down that became faster and faster with the increasing desire pulsing through her. Their groans filled the car, both of them lost in the sensation of heat, sweat, and the slick movement of their bodies against each other. When their movements became rough and uneven, he moved his hands to pinch and pull at her nipples bringing bright pleasure. The combination of the course hairs rubbing her clit and the pounding she was getting, it was all too much and soon she was coming hard and fast, convulsing like she had never done before. 

When she was done, she slumped down on him and rolled her forehead on his shoulder, futilely attempting to catch her breath and her heart seemed to want to escape her chest. Not finished with her yet, his grip tightened on his waist as he continued to pound into her until he pulsed in completion while vocalizing his pleasure. She rolled her head to look out the window and realized the car was stopped in front of the Hotel de Paleis for who knows how long and they had sex in a limo while his driver and security guard was waiting for them to be finished.

"Katniss, I am not even close to finishing with you yet, so don't even think of running away," he said, breaking her out of her thoughts. He left a gentle kiss on her forehead, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to survive the night with him if this was only the beginning.

**********  
The dress that inspired me was from the movie Laura with Gene Tierney:

[ Link ](http://thebrotherhoodofevilgeeks.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/gene-tierney-laura.jpg)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually using my tumblr now! You can check it out at drivebyanon.tumblr.com.


	3. A Change of Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to those who left kudos and comments. It warms the cockles of my heart (whatever cockles may be) and keeps me inspired to keep writing. Special thanks again to Diana_Flynn for being my beta. You can also find me on tumblr at drivebyanon, feel free to drop by.

** A Change of Perspective **

A bright heat bloomed on her face and in a sleepy state she thought she could make it go away by just swiping at it, but it had no affect what-so-ever on the beam of light from the morning sun. So instead she turned the other way and nestled further into the fluffy blankets that surrounded her. It was at that moment she realized that her pillow smelled different. It wasn't a bad different, it was just musky and spicy, definitely very manly and she hadn't had a man in her bed for a long long time. She peaked an eye open and realized that the colors of the linens were definitely not her own either, not to mention that this bed was much softer than the crappy one she had been meaning to replace.

Her heart picked up it's beat as she suddenly realized that she was definitely not in her own bed, and then it all came back so suddenly the throb of her heart seemed to beat in her head painfully. There was the event, Peeta, dinner, champagne, talking, then sex and then more sex, and then some more sex. Her whole body seemed to flush in remembrance and her center felt the echo of heat as the memories coursed through her. She tentatively picked up her head but found the other side of the bed empty. She wasn't sure if she felt relieved or worried that he wasn't lying there next to her. Taking a deep cleansing breath, she sat all the way up, squinting at the bright light that streamed into the room and there were was no sign of him except for the clothes that were littered around the room. 

She tentatively got out of the comfy bed and tip toed around the room trying to find her things but she realized quickly that she would never be able to get the dress back on without any help so she had to be satisfied with her bra, a white undershirt she found and a pair of shorts that she had to roll several times to fit on her hips without falling down. No amount of rationalization could dampen the feeling that she was sneaking around a place she wasn't supposed to be. She went to the bedroom door and her hand hovered above the doorknob as she hesitated. She thickly swallowed the lump in her throat and fisted her hand tightly as she tried to convince herself that whatever she would find on the other side would be okay, but she still couldn't get rid of the nervousness about how he would react to her in the light of day. Standing behind a door being a chicken wouldn't help anything out though so she shook her fingers out and finally yanked the door open.

In their rush to get to the bedroom she hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings and she never realized how big the hotel suite actually was. She was faced with a hallway with several doors that she assumed led to other bedrooms and a couple of restrooms. As she walked down the hallway towards what she assumed would be the living room, she could hear the sound of muffled voices in the distance. She peaked her head around the doorway into the living room and found it empty except for various articles of clothing and things scattered on top of the lavish furniture. Confused, she fully entered and picked up a stray bra lying on the floor which was definitely not her own. That's when she noticed that across the other side of the room was a kitchen with five people chatting. A couple of them leaned casually against the counters, at a table a girl sat on the lap of a large blonde man while another woman sat with a pile of food in front of her. Her stomach tightened uncomfortably, startled that there were other people besides Peeta. She was about to escape back into sanctuary of the bedroom when one the women spotted her and nodded her head in Katniss' direction making all of them whip their heads in her direction. 

"Heyy!!!" A chorus of voices greeted her. The blonde girl however, just sent her a scathing glance, and Katniss got the impression that she was definitely not worth her time.

"She's up! We thought you guys were just going to just fuck the morning away. Where's Peeta?" asked a woman with a short punky haircut.

"I don't know," she answered, voice trembling as she tried to gather her thoughts. Confusion lined her face as she folded her arms across her chest and instinctively backed slightly away from the group.

"From what it sounds like, you were riding him hard last night. He's probably icing his cock in the bathroom," she said between large bites of food. "I totally lost that bet last night. I thought you looked like an ice princess. No way did I think he'd pry your dimpled knees apart. I guess he was right, no one can say no to a prince."

"Jo!" A man with bronze hair exclaimed in amusement as he let out a large laugh. "You're impossible!" But he wasn't the only one laughing, they were all laughing, all except for the blond girl who's expression of disgust deepened, not at Jo, but at Katniss.

"Ugh! So typical of Peeta to bring home trash. When Clove finds out she's going to kill him."

"Clove?" She didn't even realize that she had said the name out loud, her whole world was spinning, and bile rose in her mouth. 

"Yeah, Clove, the actual girlfriend," spit out the blonde. 

"Well, technically, they broke up a month ago Glimmer, so he is free and clear," interjected the beautiful man with the bronze hair, a slight hint of mischievousness in his eye as he goaded the girl.

"Whatever Finnick, they always get back together. Peeta's just lucky she is so forgiving," she snapped back.

Katniss didn't know what to do with herself. She was frozen to her spot but god how she wanted to run. But she was also pretty sure she was going to throw up first. Her lip trembled as she tried to hold back the tears that were welling in her eyes but seeing the expression of pity on Finnick's face only made everything a hundred times worse.

Arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind and warm lips landed on her neck and it could be no other person besides Peeta. Every part of her body became frigid from rage even as she felt the rage burn inside her. Peeta continued to kiss her neck gently, missing that he didn't receive any physical response to his affection.

"There you are Katniss, I wondered where you wandered off too. I didn't see you when I came out of the bathroom. I see you've met the gang, sorry I didn't warn you, I can't seem to get rid of them," he said. And when he placed one more kiss on her neck, the thought of even one inch of his skin against her made her skin crawl so she swiftly turned and shoved him violently away causing him to crash against an end table. His mouth gaped open in surprise, his eyes filled with hurt and confusion. She hated him so much in that moment for acting like the wounded victim, so she slapped him as hard as she could across the face.

"God! I'm such a fucking idiot to have trusted you! This was all just a sick game to you and your fucking cronies. An opportunity to laugh at the poor stupid local girl and get your dick wet at the same time?!" His cocky confidence, the girls' conversation in the bathroom, Cinna's warning, the condom in the limo, all equaled up to the fact that she had been a colossal idiot. 

"Wait? What? No! Where did you get that idea?" he said as he reached out to her, pleading, but she just stepped further away from him, her hands out in warning.

"Where do you think. The peanut gallery back there. They were eager to enlighten me on my place in this world which is definitely not here." She turned around and said to them. "Thank you. I forgot for a moment about where I belonged."

She had long lost the battle to hold her tears back and they streamed down her face as she bit her lip to stop it from trembling. She didn't want to give more of herself than she already did so all she could do was attempt to escape as fast as possible. When she attempted to move around him he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him and placed a warm shaking hand on her face.

"Katniss, I don't know what they told you, but last night was the best night of my entire life. Let's just talk this out alone. Please Katniss, you have to believe me." She could see desperation on his face and for a very brief moment she felt herself softening but then she heard a girly snort behind her, and it brought her back to her senses.

"So you didn't make a bet with them that I would sleep with you and you don't have a girlfriend waiting back home named Clove," his eyes widened and her heart broke completely as the last bit of hope left her.

"You don't understand, it wasn't like that. I didn't know you...it was just a joke. Please Katniss, we have something special."

"Let me go," she said firmly. And when he hesitated, she brought her hands up and pushed him away.

"Don't ever touch me again. Don't ever get near me again. Go back to your shiny capitol, fuck your rich girlfriend and forget I exist because I will be trying as hard as possible to forget that I ever met you."

Luckily she spotted her clutch lying on the floor next to the door because she didn't want to spend one more moment in that place, around those people, searching for her things. Shoes be damned, barefoot and dressed in random clothing she grabbed her purse and launched herself out the door. She didn't care how crazy she looked, she ran as fast as her feet could carry her down the hallway to the bank of elevators. When she heard the door open behind her and Peeta yelling out her name, she ran even faster. Fortunately there was already an elevator waiting for her so she dashed in and hit the close button as hard as she could. He was fast as he pounded quickly towards her but she breathed a sigh of relief when it closed before he could reach her. 

Alone in the elevator she bent over and tried not hyperventilate but she was losing the battle as the tears came fast and furious. When the golden doors opened at the lobby, she straightened and ignored the confused expressions and whispers that followed her as she crossed the marbled floors to the exit. As soon as she was out, she turned around and vomited into the azalea bush next to the entrance. She wiped her mouth and spotted a taxi cab waiting at the curb and with shaking limbs climbed in. She turned toward the doors as the cab pulled away just in time to see Prince Alexander Peter Mellark the Third tear outside in nothing but his underwear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it gets a little rocky from here. Sorry to leave it there! This will be a short story so only 3 or so more chapters (unless this story gets away from me, which is always possible).


	4. Falling down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who left kudos and comments. They really kept me motivated. I'm excited to see where this story will go. Thanks once again to Diana Flynn for acting as my beta and giving me so many ideas. Now here we go...

**Falling Down**

He thought he could make it. He was sure he would catch up and somehow explain everything to her, but he was too late. Just as he pushed past the hotel doors the taxi cab drove off taking all his hopes with the girl inside. Everything seemed to get in his way. First he tripped over some shoes left in the middle of the floor so he missed the elevator and then the next elevator needed to stop almost at every single floor. He ran as fast as he could across the lobby, uncaring of the quizzical stares at his near nakedness, but he wasn't fast enough. She was already in the taxi cab, leaving him, and the worst part was he really couldn't blame her. The look of hurt and betrayal she gave him as the vehicle sped away burned his very soul. God, how he hated himself. And it killed him that she had no idea what he felt about her. At this point she would never believe that he truly cared for her. The feeling of panic was a rising tide he couldn't stop. It bubbled out of him as a frustrated yell that did nothing to relieve the pain that was throbbing in his heart. It only served to bring more attention to him from the people loitering around the entrance and lobby as they whispered to each other about his strange actions.

When a dull pain blossomed on his scalp he realized that he was harshly tugging his hair. He brought his hands down from his head when he realized that there was a good chance of tearing it right out at the root. There were five other people upstairs who he'd much rather tear into. Once again he paid no attention to the people in the lobby gaping at him, no doubt also snapping pictures, and headed back upstairs. The elevator ride was long and painful, but the time afforded him to think, breath and calm down. It wasn't working. Instead the fire inside of him burned hotter and brighter until he was bursting back into the apartment almost tearing the door off the hinges. 

Everyone in the suite jumped up startled, except for Glimmer who just glanced up at him with annoyance laced with disgust on her face. Johanna and Finnick looked like they were heatedly discussing something while Cato and Marvel had been busy stuffing their faces. Peeta grabbed the first thing that was in reach, which happened to be a table lamp and tossed it against a wall where it exploded into small pieces. If he didn't get their attention before, he sure had it now. A cloud of fear briefly passed over Glimmer's face, before it settled back into the familiar expression of indifference.

"Dude, what the hell is your damage!" exclaimed Cato. "We're eating here, what the fuck crawled up your ass."

Peeta crossed the room so fast Cato didn't have time to react before he was pressed against the wall. "You, you are my problem. All of you are my problem. What the fuck did you tell Katniss," he growled out.

"Oh, is that her name. We didn't bother asking. I'm surprised you even know it actually," Glimmer said flippantly with the toss of her golden hair.

He dropped Cato unceremoniously on the floor before going over to Glimmer and hovering over her, but she only rolled her eyes, before she continuing to check her nails.

"What is that supposed to mean," his voice strained with the effort it took to barely restrain his emotions.

"Whatever Peeta, you are such a man slut. I'm surprised you haven't got some sort of disease by now. You're just lucky Clove puts up with you," she said, barely looking at him. If she had, she would have realized that she pushed him one step too far. 

"Get out," he said through gritted teeth, his limbs vibrating with barely contained rage as he clenched his fists to the point of pain.

Glimmer just scoffed at him and rolled her eyes, "God Peeta, you can be such a pain in the ass. Just go wank off in the bedroom or something. Johanna's been needing a screw, take your angst out on her or something."

"Hey!" protested Johanna.

"I said get the fuck out!" And this time he roared. There was nothing left holding him back, and he punctuated his words by tossing the table to the ground.

"Dude! What is your deal?!" Cato exclaimed as he stepped in front of his girlfriend.

"You're my problem. All of you fucking leeches are my problem. All you do is take from me and you finally took the one good thing that was happening in my life. All of you get the hell out of here before I throw you out. Now!" His voice boomed across the room and for the first time ever, they were actually afraid of him. Finnick stood there, mouth agape and totally stunned. Johanna was uncharacteristically quiet, and Marvel looked like he soiled his pants. 

"Come on Glim, let's get our stuff and leave this loser," said Cato as he moved towards the bedroom.

"I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!" And with each word, Peeta shoved the larger man closer to the door until Cato couldn't take it any more and took a swing, his large meaty fist hitting him painfully on the bone of his cheek. Peeta didn't go down, but he didn't make a move to hit him either. The pain almost seemed welcome to him at that moment.

"Peeta, you're worthless. You're nothing compared to your brothers. No wonder your mother never wanted you," Glimmer spat out. "Come on, we can grab our stuff later when he's at the bottom of a bottle in some scummy bar, just like he is." With the toss of her hair, she trounced out the door, Cato and Marvel following close behind.

Silence echoed around them after the door slammed shut behind them. Finnick and Johanna still stood frozen in their place speechless and completely confused about how their easy morning turned so ugly so fast. Peeta didn't even seem to notice that his two friends were still there, but instead just stormed into his bedroom to lick his wounds in private. The sound of his bedroom door slamming echoed in the still quiet of the room causing them both to jump in their places.

"Well shit," Johanna finally said as she blinked her wide eyes a few times and then let out a low whistle. "What just happened?" she asked.

"You were a righteous bitch, that's what," Finnick answered turning over an upset chair, and plopped onto it.

"Hey!" she exclaimed back indignantly.

"Oh come off it Johanna. I love you to pieces but you know you can be a pill sometimes and this time you really stepped into it," Finnick rubbed his hand down his face and let out a sigh. "I think we really fucked it up for him this time."

"Well how was I supposed to know! And let's put the blame where it belongs, on Glimmer. She just couldn't keep her trap shut," Johanna said defiantly as she crossed her arms, her mouth set firmly.

"Says the girl who told her that it was a bet,” he said giving Jo a pointed look. “No, we're all at fault, not just Glimmer. His love life is none of our business but clearly we've become too comfortable being the 'peanut gallery' as she put it.”

"Well what do we do then?" With that question he knew Johanna had given up her stubbornness and finally acknowledge her part in the mess. She fell back against the couch crossing her arms defiantly and sent him a little pout. He just rolled his eyes at her and the silence descended on them as they pondered the mess they found themselves in the middle of. 

"You should talk to him!" she exclaimed, shaking a finger at him. 

"Me! You're the one who mouthed off!" He sat forward and pointed his own finger at her. "You need to clean up the crap that you had a hand in making! I'm staying right here until he kicks me out."

"I don't know what the fuck to say to him!" Johanna through her hands and fell back against the couch cushions. "You can use that silver tongue and get him out of his funk. Anyway, even he can't resist your pearly whites. Pretty please! 

Finnick stubbornly refused to look at her, but when she let out a plaintive “Please!” he knew it was a losing battle with her. "Fine. But you owe me big and I will definitely make you pay up tonight." He sat forward and gave her a grin so lascivious that she knew that she was in for delicious trouble. "You're not getting off easy, you still need to come in with me.

"Fine," she pouted. "But tonight will definitely be the very last time, got it?" she said firmly.

"Got it. I will use my seduction techniques on other women from here on out," he said with a little salute of the hand. "Come on, let's get this over with Mason."

Finnick reluctantly hefted himself out of the chair and offered his hand to Johanna. She rolled her eyes at him but gave her hand to him anyway. When she moved in front of him, she should have prepared to defend herself from that very hand, but she was till too damn tired and hungover so when it landed hard on her ass she only let out a weak yelp. She turned around with a scowl scrunching her face before pounding over to Peeta's bedroom door and slamming it open. It was no surprise that the room was a disaster, things were thrown every direction. Scanning through the disarray, she finally spotted Peeta sitting against the sliding glass doors that led out to the balcony, his knees folded up and head in his hands, looking completely defeated. He was so much in his own world, he didn't even move an inch with her loud entrance.

Johanna let out a low whistle and said, "Damn Peeta, your parents are going to kill you if they found out you destroyed the hotel room. Last thing they need is another scandal. But then again, it's probably too late, most likely you've already been papped in your underwear."

"I told you to..."

"Get out. Yeah yeah, we know. But unlike those lunkheads we're not susceptible to your Jedi mind tricks and don't care about doing what you order us to. Okay Finnick, your turn, go." She promptly sat down on the mattress that lay on the floor, folded her legs, making herself comfortable for the awkward conversation ahead.

Finnick dragged his hand through his hair in agitation. "Super helpful Johanna, thanks." She just sent him a cheeky grin and gestured for him to say something. 

"Any time O'Dair," Peeta said with a defeated tone.

Finnick just rolled his eyes at his friend then sat himself down across from him. "So who was that girl anyway?"

"None of your business." Finnick wasn't used to receiving such curt short answers from Peeta. Usually the gregarious man could talk his ear off, especially if he was excited about something.

"Well, it is our business because you're kicking us out of the apartment we're staying in, so if I have to book another hotel room at my own expense, I'd like to know why."

Peeta was silent for a long moment before he let out a heavy sigh then tilted his head back until it banged against the glass sliding door.

"She's just a girl I met. A nobody. Nothing more," Peeta was answered, but his voice was thick with the emotions he was clearly holding back.

"Apparently she isn't a nobody if this is the type of reaction you've had," Finnick said as he pointed out the chaos around the room.

"Glimmer's right, I am worthless. Just a throw away third son of a King." He rubbed his hands against his face and didn't look at his friends once. For the first time ever, Finnick actually worried about his usually cheerful friend. He looked nothing like his usual self. Finnick had been friends with Peeta long enough to know the demons hiding under the surface of placid smiles and charming words. They had a kinship for that very reason, both used to hiding what lay underneath for the greater good of their families. But now Peeta's protective walls were completely down and Finnick had never seen him look so vulnerable and alone.

"Come on Peeta, you know that's not true. Where's this coming from?" asked Johanna genuinely confused.

Peeta let out a snort and finally set a fiery gaze on her, "Not true huh. How often do you see me when we're not partying, not drunk, not off on some exotic adventure. When I'm just at home with the family. Never, that's what. None of you stay when there isn't fun involved. None of you see when my mother tell me how useless I am, how nobody would care if I ceased to exist. You don't see the pity on my own father's face, who does nothing to defend me. No, because I'm not worth it. I'm not worth anything beyond what I can give of myself to others for their benefit. I'm just fucking tired of putting on a perpetual happy face for everyone. You know when the last time I had a real conversation? A real connection? Of course you don't, because it certainly wasn't with you. It was last night, with her. I felt like a real human being for the first time ever." 

"I..I..didn't know you felt that way. Why didn't you say something?" Johanna stuttered, for the first time really flustered. She looked over at Finnick, and she was surprised to see not only understanding but real guilt in his expression. 

"Because I didn't want you guys to leave me. I didn't want to be alone. If all I could do was offer you a good time so you liked me, then that was what I was going to do."

The silence that followed was tense, and Finnick was for once without words and didn't know what he could say to comfort his friend. He looked back at Johanna and he saw her expression hardened and her mouth form into a firm line. She crawled over to Peeta, and once she was right in front of him, she brought her hand far back and slapped him hard across the face. He instantly brought his hand up to his smarting cheek, mouth open but completely speechless.

"That is because you're a complete idiot. You are not fucking worthless you moron. I can't say anything about Glimmer and the imbecile twins Cato and Marvel, but I can speak for Finnick and I. Sure there are a ton of perks hanging out with you. I admit it, it's pretty damn awesome. But you're also a really good guy. You both have been better friends to me than I deserve. You take care of me. So maybe I took advantage of that, but you're the only family I have. And besides, you're mother's completely crazy, so I'm staying as far away from that bitch as possible. So I'm sorry you felt like we didn't want you more than for what you could give us. But we're not like those other people. Ugh! I'm not good with words, but I mean it. And you still deserved that slap by the way." 

When Johanna finished she lunged for him and gave him such a strong hug, he wasn't sure he could breathe for a moment. And before he could react, she abruptly crawled back to her spot. Peeta didn't quite smile, but his lips quirked up the barest bit and he no longer seemed quite so on the edge as before. Finnick looked between the two before he let out a hefty chuckle.

"God, we are one fucked up little crew aren't we? Peeta, you know my story and I'm not that much better off than you. Sure we're all devastatingly good looking but along with that we're emotionally stunted, used, abused, addicted to various things and I'm pretty sure Johanna has a borderline personality disorder."

"Hey! I think you could be accused of being a super narcissist so watch it buddy," Johanna snapped back. This time, Peeta actually did crack a smile but it was wry and mostly bitter.

"See, there you go. That's exactly it. I don't have anything of real value to offer anybody, just a mess of a person. Might as well go back to Clove, at least she knows what she's getting. Why did I ever think a person like her ever want a loser like me?" Peeta banged his head against the sliding door again, swallowing hard like he was holding back tears.

"Peeta, that's enough. You've been on the pity train for too long. I said we're a mess, I never said we didn't have anything valuable to offer. And of the three of us, you have the most to give. You've just hidden it away inside for all these years. Now tell me about this glorious woman you've been mournfully mooning over." That was Finnick for you, he was never one to hold back on his opinion. For the first time Peeta really looked at Finnick and Johanna as they sat their waiting for him to speak. They didn't have to stay after he unceremoniously threw everyone out. They both had money of their own, but they chose to stay despite his temper and for the first time he didn't feel quite so hopeless. 

"I first saw her when I went to make the official visit to the grounds of the Conservatory. She was gorgeous, even covered all in dirt. The best part is that she didn't want to have anything to do with me and god that made me want her even more. I wanted her so badly and I thought it would be easy just like all the other girls. But it was completely the opposite, she challenged me. She didn't even know who I was at first and none of my charm worked on her. But the more I talked to her and got to know her, the more I wanted everything about her. It flipped my world upside down. I kept telling myself to wait, to ask her out on a real date, to just be patient instead of making a move on her. But then the dream was a reality, I could see in her eyes she wanted me just as much, and I couldn't say no. Fuck, I should have waited." 

The silence that followed was not quite awkward but more contemplative as the three companions thought back on the decisions they had made in their lives. The only sound was a bird's song that floated through a crack in the doorway. Eventually it was Finnick who broke out of his reverie and spoke up, "You know what you have to do right?” 

“What? Go back home with my tail between my legs?” Peeta answered back, clearly confused.

“You need to go see Sae. I hear she’s actually around these parts. She opened up a little café. If anybody can get your head straight it would be her.”

“My mom would kill me if she found out that I had seen her. They didn't exactly end on the best of terms after she unceremoniously threw Sae out after more than 20 years of service.”

“Even better. It’s time you separate from that hell beast of a woman. I don’t care that the Capitol thinks she poops diamonds out her ass. You need a little dose of loving reality that Sae can give you." 

Peeta pulled his hand threw his hair then rubbed his face before he said, "Yeah you're right. It'll be nice to be around someone who cares for me, just me."

"Hey! How about us?" Johanna said with an offended look scrunching her pretty face.

Peeta let out a real chuckle, then crawled over and pulled her into his arms. She was stiff and unpliable for a moment before she melted into his warmth with a bright little laugh and grabbed him tightly. Peeta let out an "Oof" as Finnick decided to join them and threw his arms around them them. 

"Okay, okay, I can count on you guys too." Peeta said as he gently pulled away. "Thanks, and I really mean that." He brought his hand firmly down on Finnick's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze before let them both go. "Now seriously, both of you out of my bedroom. I need to pick up my mattress and get some sleep before I head over to Sae's and beg her forgiveness for not visiting for so many years. And before you ask, I'm not kicking you out of the apartment. Just out of this room."

"Good, because we weren't planning on going anywhere anyway. That was our plan all along. Forget your descent into the heart of darkness, I just wanted the room service and open bar," Johanna said with a wink as she pulled herself up gracefully then hauled Finnick off the floor.

"Well in that case, I better call security," Peeta answered but there was no heat behind his words, only humor. 

With twin sighs of relief the door clicked softly behind them as they exited into the hallway. The curve of Finnick's shoulders told a tale of exhaustion that was uncommon for the usually carefree man.

"I hate to say this, but I don't think I'll be needing your payment tonight after all," he said after a moment of weighted silence.

"Wait, what? Have you been taken up by a pod person? This is the first time ever that you've declined an offer of sex." Johanna was never one to be flustered easily but the bewilderment screwing her face was so comical that Finnick couldn't help the laugh that burst out of his lips. Her confusion quickly turned into anger and the look was so murderous, he quickly gulped down the rest of his laugher before she acted out on her feelings.

"Sorry, sorry. Couldn't help it. This whole thing has made me punchy. But to answer your question. Yeah, I think, well I think I need to reevaluate some things. Peeta's complete mental breakdown over a girl shook me up I guess. I've never felt anything like before. I've never let myself feel like that. It made me feel lonely. I'm sure I'll be fine in a day or so, but for now maybe we should stick to what we're really good at, being friends. I don't want to lose you Johanna. We're like a fucked up little family." The red color growing on his cheeks gave away his embarrassment and he sheepishly shuffled uncomfortably while she just blinked at him silently, her expression completely poker faced. But soon enough a smile broke through the facade and she's wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, squeezing the breath right out of him.

"Finnick, that's the nicest rejection I ever got. Actually nobody's ever rejected me before. Guess there is a first time for everything." She gave him one more squeeze before she pulls away and gave him a slap on the shoulder.

"Come one O'Dair, I'm hungry again. Let's go grab some crappy food and watch even crappier TV."

He threw his arm over her shoulder as they headed to the well-stocked kitchen. "Sounds like a plan to me," he answered before his hand moved down to squeeze her ass.

At her quizzically raised eyebrow, he shrugged and said, "Well you can't expect a man to change his ways completely in one day."

______________________

It felt like there were weights at the bottom of his shoe as he stood there staring at her little home. He had been standing there for more than 10 minutes and was no closer to ringing the doorbell than he had been when he'd arrived. The place was so tranquil, so beautiful, he felt like he would be breaking the peace. Spring was in full bloom, the branches of the jacaranda tree in front swayed in the soft breeze littering a carpet of purple flowers on her lawn. Climbing roses reached up to the top of her her roof, cheerful and bright just like she was. 

He could not get rid of the stone that seemed to grow in the pit of his stomach. The last time he saw her, he felt so betrayed, so filled with anger he was barely able to look at her as she said goodbye and walked away. He had been 16 years old, no longer a boy but not yet a man. At the time he didn't know the role his mother had played in getting rid of her. He would never forgive himself for being such a petulant brat and just hugging her one more time. For trying to keep in contact with her somehow.

He took a deep cleansing breath then finally made his way up the brick path toward her door, which was painted her favorite color of turquoise blue. There was no doorbell but an iron knocker instead so he grabbed it, hesitated a moment before he rapped it against the door. 

"Hold on!" she yelled out after a moment. His heart wanted to burst out of his chest as her clunky footsteps shuffled towards the door then before he could run away, the door was abruptly being pulled open. She had been wiping her hands on her apron but as soon as she looked up at him, they instantly froze in shock. She blinked at him a few times before she questioned, "Peeta?" He could only nod his head in reply. 

It happened so fast, later he wouldn't recall how it happened, but he somehow ended up on his knees in front of the old woman, his head in her stomach as tears leaked from his eyes. Her arms wrapped themselves tightly around him and she lay her cheek on his hair and choked out, "My boy," through her own tears. He was finally home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? I'm taking a poll. Should Finnick find love with Annie or do you like him Jo? Inquiring minds want to know.


	5. Getting Over It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I got carried away with other things...cough...Mockingjay & tumblr...cough. Hopefully the chapters will come a lot faster now. Thank you everyone for great feedback! I really appreciate it. And thanks to the anons who kept me bugging me. A huge thanks to Diana_Flynn (tumblr: dianaflynn22) for being my patient beta.

Getting Over It (Is Not as Easy as it Looks) 

Her sun-soaked car was a little piece of heaven right now. God, how she wished she could hide out in it for the rest of the day. She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh as she pushed the seat to lean all the way back. In reality outside her bubble there was work pressing in on her and every moment she spent hiding made it exponentially worse for her but yet, she still couldn't find the energy to motivate to leave. She loved her job, she really did, but today she just really didn’t want to be around people. Everybody seemed to drain a little bit more energy from her and she couldn't to keep on her "happy face" any longer. Hell, she was pretty sure she was doing a piss poor job in looking anything but absolutely miserable. 

She had been foolishly optimistic about putting the events of that night and that horrific morning behind her. Out of sight out of mind right? If she just pushed everything away, just kept moving forward, she thought she could run away from the hurt that seemed to radiate out of her heart every moment of the day. But it wasn't that easy and there was no escape. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the strain of his muscles as they moved over her, the brightness of his eyes shining in lust, his brilliant smile after licking her juices off his lips, the whisper of his lips against her ear as he groaned her name in completion. She was sure she was going completely insane. God, why couldn't she just stop thinking of him? She had only known him for such a brief time.

She needed to just practice those breathing exercises that Dr. Aurelius had given. She took in five deep breaths in and out in hopes that it would help but she was just too tired to even begin to relax. She swallowed her frustration and continued to repeat the exercise. Eventually exhaustion from lack of sleep won out and her eyes became heavy as she drifted off to sleep. But she should have known better because no real escape could be found there either. The dreams were so much worse than she expected them to be. Her usual nightmares that haunted her had been replaced the last couple nights with apparitions of his friends mocking her, taunting her, laughing at her while she was stripped bare and exposed. She was worse than nothing, a nobody, worthless to all who jeered at her, just a form of their entertainment to pass the time. The words flowed out of their mouths and poured over her leaving her raw and bleeding. So even the peace she sought in her little car eluded her as her unconscious mind caught her up once again in something that had very much been reality. 

Her reprieve came unexpectedly from a loud banging sounding against the car window, startling her out of her restless sleep. Her heart beat frantically against her chest wall as she tried to gain her barring, looking out the window to find Annie's stern face staring at back her. She was about to roll down her window when Annie skipped around to the other side of the car, opened up the passenger door and slid right in. Her expression was unmoving and Katniss could tell that whatever it was she wanted, she meant business.

Katniss was just about to ask what was wrong when Annie burst out, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

She blinked at her friend and coworker a couple times, startled before she answered. "What..uh...what are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about Katniss. I've never seen you like this. I mean, you have your grumpy moods but they're more funny than anything. Give you a cup of coffee and you're fine. But you've been snappish all day. I don't know if you've noticed, but everyone's been avoiding you like the plague. They're all scared of you!"

"I'm sorry," she stuttered out. She wanted to say more but her throat was starting to close and get sticky. She blinked her eyes a few times, hoping that the water she could feel rising would dissipate and she wouldn't start crying in front of her friend but she was pretty sure it was a useless battle.

As she clearly fought with her emotions, she could see Annie's expression soften and her eyes widened in concern. She leaned over the console and put her warm hand on Katniss's shoulder, squeezing it gently. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I came on too strong didn't I. Everyone's just so on edge with how you've been acting and..."

"No, it's not you," Katniss answered with a shaky breath. 

"Katniss, what is wrong then? I've never seen you like this before." Maybe it was because she had been holding it in for the last couple of days, maybe it's because it was lack of sleep, maybe it was the look of worry etched on Annie, but most likely it was all three because soon enough she couldn't hold it back any more and found herself crying in the circle of Annie's skinny but comforting arms.

After a few minutes of just letting it all out, she was able to pull herself together enough to swallow her hiccups and she looked up in complete embarrassment at her friend. 

"I'm sorry, I'm just so tired. I feel like I can't breath anymore. Everything hurts. God Annie, I just...I'm sorry, I just can't right now." She put her hands over her hot face and felt the tears starting to leak again so she scrubbed them angrily from her cheeks. Never in her life had she felt so out of control with her emotions and most of her was angry at herself and him for being in this situation.

"Oh Katniss, don't be sorry. You know you can tell me anything. You've already seen me at my worst and you know I'm a complete mess, barely held together with spit, glue, and prayers. You've always been there to hold my hand. It's time that I returned the favor." 

She looked over at her friend, her expression open and accepting. They had known each other only a few years but in that time she had become one of the closest people in her life. They met in a grief counseling group that she had been pressured to attend after the death of her father. Annie had been so withdrawn and Katniss hadn't been any better but somehow beyond reason, they gravitated toward each other, becoming each other's biggest support. So it was an easy decision for her to make and she spilled everything to her about what happened, from meeting Peeta all the way to that terrible morning afterwards.

"Wow Katniss. Just wow. You slept with the youngest Prince? That's crazy! How the hell did that happen?" were the first words that came out of Annie's mouth. When she realized how that must have sounded, her hand popped up in front of her lips and her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. Katniss couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her mouth at her friend's unintentional tactlessness. She also didn't mind because it was the first time she laughed since everything happened. 

"Well, I can't disagree with you, it was pretty crazy, I still can't believe that it all happened either. And especially with him of all people," she said, shaking her head. She could feel the ghost of his lips as they played softly against her own and she had to resist the urge to rub the feeling away with her fingertips. Instead she bit her bottom lip hard before taking a deep breath.

"Do you think that maybe he did have feelings for you? I mean, you are an amazing person so I wouldn't be surprised whatsoever if he fell head over heels in love with you."

"His friends made it very clear where I stood in this situation, so no, I don't think he did. I can't let myself think that way anyway," she answered as she leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. "I'll just be that loser who fell in love after a booty call."

"So are you in love with him?" The question startled her enough that her eyes pop up as she looked over at Annie's sincere face. More surprising is she found herself reluctant to look inside the reason why she was so upset. That was a road best left untraveled.

"Of..ccc..course not, that's ridiculous. I barely know him. Besides, it was only one night," she answered stuttering and stumbling over her words.

Annie gave her shoulder a soft comforting squeeze then said, "I mean, it's alright if you do. And it wasn't him that said those things. It was his friends. Maybe he is just a poor judge of character who surrounds himself with assholes? Seeing what his life is like in the tabloids, you're probably the first good person who he's had come into his life in a long time."

Katniss let's out a sigh and her eyes soften as she takes in her optimistic friend, "I wish I could think that way, but I can't. Besides, I'm sure he's more humiliated that he hooked up with me of all people than anything. Right now I just want to forget," she said, flicking her hands in front of her like she just wanted everything to be wiped away." And again I'm sorry, I've been such a bear. I'm not really good at pretending that everything is alright I guess."

"Yup! I definitely have to agree with you on that one. But who am I to judge. Whenever things get tough, I hide for a week at my aunt's house." Annie said with her usual self-deprecating humor. Katniss let out a soft chuckle and wiped off the remnants of the wetness from her swollen eyes.

"Well, I guess break time is over." Katniss made to leave the car but it was Annie's strong grip that stopped her from moving any further.

"Katniss, you're really going back out there? I hate to say it, but you kinda look like an epic mess. I'm pretty sure everyone will know that you've been crying by the red eyes, running nose, and blotchy face." 

The only thing she could do was slump back down in defeat. She was right, she would become gossip fodder for the whole Conservancy. She probably already was.

"But I have to get back to work, I didn't even get through half of my list today," she said with a slight whine to her voice. 

"I think you'll be fine. You work twenty times harder than anybody else here. Besides you're the boss, you can do what you want," Annie said with an encouraging smile. "I'm sure you have some paperwork you can do from home anyway."

"Considering Haymitch is my boss, I'm sure he'd disagree with you about me being the boss. But he has been bugging me to take some comp time, so maybe you're right."

"I am right!" Annie exclaimed. "Besides, you need to rest up so we can go out tonight. I'm buying you a drink. And who knows, maybe they'll be a cute guy to take your mind off of what’s-his-name."

"Oh, I definitely don't want to go out tonight. Depression and drinking are not very mixy." Her words fell on deaf ears however because she could tell Annie had already checked out of the conversation. She was mumbling to herself about what she should wear and where they would go. She had lost the battle before she could even put up a fight.

"Oh, we'll have so much fun. I got to get back inside the hot house, but I'll come over tonight to pick you up at 8ish. Dress pretty!" And Annie left as abruptly as she arrived leaving Katniss a little bit stunned.

For a brief moment she did ponder going back to work, but Annie was right, not only was she a mess but she'd be completely useless. Luckily she already had her bag with her so she didn't need anything else from inside. With one last sigh she turned over the car and headed on back to the house. Relief flooded her from head to toe as she pulled into her driveway. It wasn't much but it was home, and for now, some sweet sleep would be very welcome. 

She really didn't pay attention when she threw her keys down, or when she tore off her shoes in the hallway, or her pants when she entered her room. She left a trail of clothes behind her as she made a path to her room. Usually she was much neater, but she just wanted to rip everything off and get under the safety of the covers, she was so mentally exhausted. As soon as her head hit her fluffy pillow, her eyes closed shut and for the first time in almost a week she fell into a dreamless sleep.

She started to surface a couple of hours later to a mouthful of blond hair. Sluggishly she raised her hand to free herself of the curtain of hair and slightly lifted up her head to see her sweet ten year old sister snuggled up against her. Every once in awhile she would let out a soft sigh and smack her lips together. As Katniss drew her hand down her soft warm cheek, Prim's eyes fluttered open and she turned to her head to give her sister a sleepy smile. No words were necessary between the sisters as she turned over fully, wrapped her arms around Katniss and gave her a hug. 

"Hey there little duck, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Hazelle right now?" she asked while she smoothed the hair from her face.

"We saw your car in the driveway and I wanted to see if you were home. You were so out of it, you didn't hear us when we came in the room. I even poked you in the arm. You were so funny, you just mumbled something about 'stupid bread'." The room seemed to brighten with the sound of her giggle and the smile that formed on Katniss' lips was soft and real. 

"What time is mommy supposed to be home today?" asked Prim, worry evident in her voice.

"She'll actually be home early little duck. Her shift ends at 5 pm today, so you'll get to have her all evening." Katniss' heart tightened in her chest as she saw her little sister's face light up and a bright burning blossomed in her belly. Ever since their father died, their mother had taken a back seat to parenting, letting Katniss do the bulk of the work. In the last year her mother had been seeing a therapist and she was slowly coming back to herself. But in that long time she had lost the respect of her oldest daughter and now Prim holds a perpetual wariness in her eyes that is heartbreaking to see in someone so young. Prim was not as carefree as she used to be, but Katniss tried as much as possible to still help her enjoy being a little girl. But every time she saw the joy light up inside Prim when their mother was actually present she couldn't help but resent the woman for what she put them through and prayed her mother wouldn't disappoint Prim again.

"Do you think she'll play some games with me? I have new board game that Rue gave me. It's really fun. Maybe she'll actually laugh," she said excitedly. 

"Of course she will! How could she resist a face like that," she answered as she tweaked Prim's adorable nose causing a giggle to erupt from the little girl. On cue she heard a door open down below and her mother call out, "Girls I'm home!" Prim's smile brightened even further and she scrambled out of the bed and ran down the stairs. Katniss just turned on her back to stare up at the ceiling and sighed. Here she was, an adult, living in her mom's house. She would have left long ago but she couldn't ever thinking of leaving Prim. Her mom was still unstable, so for the meantime she just had to put up with a woman she could barely stand being around. For a moment, a really nice moment, everything seemed to be going right. She would even say there had been a moment that was perfect. She should have known that was going to fall apart too. 

She closed her eyes and tried to pretend that the vice grip squeezing her heart meant nothing, that she didn't care, but again it was a useless effort. There he was again, blue eyes burning hot with intensity as he hovered above her, keeping her captive. His skin glistened with the sweat from their long night of exertion and she couldn't help but but turn her attention to his jaw as it clenched tightly, compelling her hand to reach up and touch it. She could feel the the stubble just popping up against her fingertips, barely raised but still pronounced. Her hand traveled to his short hairs on the back of his neck and she pulled him down to her again just wanting to taste those lips again. When they broke apart he nestled his nose into that small space behind her ear and his hot breath fanned heavily against her neck as he slowed down his pace and pushed deeply and methodically into her, hitting a spot that had her toes trembling and her legs shaking. 

"Katniss! Are you awake?" Her eyes suddenly popped open with the words and she realized that it was Annie from downstairs. She had drifted off so quickly that she didn't even realize that she had started dreaming again. She tried to shake off the sleepiness and the last tendrils of her dream, but it just lingered there before her eyes, keeping that yearning pulsing deep in her heart. As she heard steps approaching she sat up and rubbed the grime out of her eyes and through the blurriness you could see Annie followed closely by Madge enter the doorway.

"There you are! You can't sleep the evening away, we are taking you out of this funk you've gotten in to," Annie announced cheerfully.

"Annie has me all caught up in what's going on and I think she's right. We need to drag yourself out tonight. You look really beautiful right now, even if it looks like a bird nested in your hair," Madge said as she sat next to her and tried to smooth down her unruly hair. 

She had known the always perfectly dressed pretty blonde since they were awkward lonely girls in grade school. At first they were friends for convenience but when they finally started to really talk to each other, they realized that they actually did like each other. Madge was always a good counterpart to her more reserved self. She inherited her southern mama's tendency for blunt honesty but in that nice way which came with a smile. Madge was also annoyingly affectionate and forced hugs on her when she didn't want them. Katniss stiffened, as Madge gave her one of those hugs, but found herself leaning into her as she hated to admit to herself that she actually needed them. As Madge let go of her, she gave her a soft rub on her back her expression telling her without spoken words that she loved her and was there for her. 

"Well, let's get miss dark and broody over here into the shower before the guys get here and she frightens them away. We even brought some clothes because we know your wardrobe is a little worse for wear," Annie said as she grabbed her hands and yanked her off the bed and shoved her towards the small adjoining bathroom.

"What? Gale and Thresh are coming too? Guys, I'm really not up for socializing," Katniss whined as she closed the door behind her.

"Too bad! You are being forced into socialization. Besides you and Gale can commiserate together since he just broke up with that vile chick Bristol. So there, you have a buddy to cry into your beer with," yelled Madge through the door. She didn't know if having Gale there would make things better or worse. Whenever he broke up with another girlfriend he sulked like a petulant five year old, even when he was the one to do the breaking. And she would spend days trying to make him feel better so he wouldn't make her life so miserable. She loved her cousin but he was a big pain in her ass sometimes.

After she got out of the shower she did feel worlds better. Wrapped up in a warm robe, the girls sat her down and carefully blew out her hair until it lay in perfect waves around her shoulder. How she itched to just throw it up into her signature braid, but they just slapped her hands away. It did look really good though, even if it did feel hot around her ears. Next Madge worked on her makeup, nothing too heavy just a light rosy lipgloss and some plumping of her eyelashes. After they threw her into a simple high-waisted pencil skirt and a blousy crop top that just went over the edge of the skirt. They pointed her towards the mirror so she could see the full effect and a smile brightened up her face was all the evidence they needed that they did an amazing job. She turned around and brought both girls to her for a brief hug in thanks, taking a moment to relish their friendship and support before she gathered herself once again. It was amazing how the simple freshening up by her friends could give her the courage to face the world. She looked back in the mirror and was determined that the moping sad girl be put aside. This was a new night after all, full of possibilities and she was determined to move on.

"Thresh just texted, their waiting outside so let's get going, I'm starving!" announced Madge. She was out the door like a shot, no doubt eager to be reunited with her tall, dark and handsome boyfriend. 

Annie and Katniss took a more leisurely pace as she passed through the living room. She found her sister happily cozied up against their mom on the couch and for a moment she was taken back to how it felt to be in the warmth and safety of her mom's comforting arms, the beat of her heart against her ear, the movement of her thin fingers as they played in her hair. Katniss swallowed the lump in her throat and shook the unwelcome memory away and walked by them, only pausing enough to give her sister a gentle smile. Prim beamed back at her, happy and content and although the resentment towards her mother burned in her stomach again, she was glad that at least one of them could have a good relationship with her because her little sister deserved the best of everything.

"Have fun Katniss tonight Katniss! Don't stay out too late," Prim said with a bright wave of the hand.

"Yes mom!" Katniss answered with a smirk curving the corner of her mouth. She went over and gave Prim and kiss on the cheek before turning to her mother. "Don't forget she shouldn't be out of bed past 9:30 pm and her favorite pajamas are in the dryer,"she said stiffly. 

"Yes I know dear. Have a pleasant time," her mother answered automatically, her tone monotone and lifeless, not even looking up from the television. Katniss just gave a heavy sigh and followed her friends to the front yard. 

As she stepped out into the cool evening air a slight breeze played with the wisps of her hair and she closed her eyes in pleasure, she felt like she was coming alive again, like she could finally breathe. She opened her eyes to see all of her friends waiting patiently. Well Annie and Madge were patient, Thresh was playing on his phone and Gale stared off into the distance, no doubt brooding again.

"Well are we getting out of here or what!" declared Katniss.

"Now that's the spirit!" Madge answered back cheerfully, throwing an arm around her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "A little pub food, a lot of beer, and you'll be right as rain again." 

"You too Gale. Stop being such a wet blanket. I don't think you even really liked Bristol in the first place, you just liked...you know...doing what you guys did, so stop with the mopeyness," Annie directed at Gale as she gave him a soft punch in the arm. 

Gale cracked his first real smile before he shook his head at Annie's stubborn expression, "God, you girls won't just leave me alone. Just wait until you have to deal with heartbreak." As Annie leveled an even deeper glare at her, he threw up his hands and said, "Fine! I'll try okay, just stop giving me that look. I'm came to hang out with my friends, not my mother." 

Annie's smile was triumphant as she clapped her hands then headed to the car. Katniss walked over to him and threw her arm around his back and gave it a comforting pat. "Come on Gale, we can commiserate together when they're not paying attention. They'll probably be drunk within the hour anyway."

"What do you have to be sad about anyway? The girls didn't want to tell me," asked Gale as he threw his arm around her shoulder.

"Because your temper is annoyingly quick and I don't need you hunting down anybody to save my honor, that's why," she answered.

"Well when you put it that way, then you definitely have to tell me." She rolled her eyes at him as he crossed his arms in front of his chest giving her his best stern look. She just turned away from him and walked to the idling car. He would no doubt get some of the story out of her eventually, but she needed a few drinks in her first. 

Considering how down she had been just hours before and how gloomy Gale still was, the car ride over to Sae's Bar and Grill was still a pretty cheerful one. With her friends chatting away, it was easy to put aside her heavy heart for the evening, and she hoped permanently. She just had to avoid anything that had to do with Peeta which meant she might as well get rid of her TV and computer. She had a lot of book reading ahead of her.

The group settled into their favorite booth and they quickly had a spread of fatty appetizers, burgers, and a round of drinks laid out before them. Sae had actually shelled out some money to have a local band playing on a small stage and they were surprisingly good with their modern bluegrass sound. It was easy for her spirit to lighten even if her heart did beat faster every time she saw a blond guy cross the room. She just had to remind herself that there was no possible way he would come to a local joint like this anyway. She was pretty sure he just hopped on the first train back to the Capitol and back to his own kind anyway. He probably had that sexy blonde wrapped around him by now on his king sized bed. She shook that image out of her head, taking a swig of her drink and checked back into what her friends were laughing about. 

Conversation flowed across the group easily and Gale quickly let go of his gloomy attitude once a brunette in a slinky tight dress started flirting shamelessly from the other side of the bar. He was definitely never in want for attention so Katniss wasn't sure what had his panties in a twist in the first place. More likely he was just upset that Bristol had broken up their bad relationship first. As the evening wore on it became harder to pay attention to the conversation when the eye sex between Gale and his mystery woman kept increasing in intensity. But it was the lady’s smirk that really caught her eye, it seemed strangely familiar but Katniss wasn’t up to the task of figuring it out and brought her attention back to the group. 

Madge and Thresh were their usual selves, one moment chatting with everyone and the next, caught up in their own world, speaking their own intimate language. She couldn't help but envy their closeness. When they met, their relationship came so naturally to them that Madge quickly forgot any crush she had on Gale that had been lingering from high school. Gale’s pride at the loss of an admirer had been bruised only briefly until he actually got to know Thresh and soon the two were thick as thieves. Annie had been the last but just as important addition to their group. When Katniss met her, she could relate to her quiet and introverted personality. She had no idea how they were able to overcome their own awkwardness and lack of verbal skills to start talking in the first place. But once Annie did open up to you, it was easy to forget she was ever taciturn in the first place. Those she trusted and loved, she did with her whole being. 

Katniss leaned back into the booth content and relaxed, the alcohol working it's way through her blood. Everyone had wandered off but she was okay with the peaceful interlude. Madge and Thresh were slow dancing to a fast song on the dance floor, Annie was in her zone winning money at the pool tables, and Gale had finally wandered over to the brunette. She was happy to just chill out and watch them enjoy the evening, they would come back soon enough. Plus she still had beer and fried calamari to keep her company. 

It was always fascinating watching Annie play pool. On outward appearances she looked like a meek amateur so she often fooled many a man into a game that was out of their league and earned herself quite a bit of money in the process. This evening seemed to be running in the same pattern. As she sunk the eight ball into a corner pocket, the tall beautiful man she was playing against tossed his down his cue on the table in comical aggravation followed by a hearty laugh. Even from this distance she could see the sparkle of his white teeth with his brilliant smile and it put a rock right down in the middle of her stomach. There was something about the way he tossed his head back when he laughed that seemed so oddly familiar and she couldn't help the feeling of dread that tightened her stomach. 

As she squinted her eyes, trying to reach back into her memory, she didn't see him in a bar but in a luxurious hotel suite as he laughed along with the people surrounding him. And suddenly she knew the guy playing pool with Annie was one of his friends, one of the guys there in the hotel room that horrible morning. The sensation of heat and panic flushed over her body and she couldn't control the racing of her heart. The content feeling from moments before was completely shattered and all she could think of was leaving the bar as quickly and quietly as possible.

Gale was the nearest to her, maybe she could just signal to him that she was leaving. Her friends were pretty used to her taking off early most times they went out anyway so they wouldn't be too surprised. As discreetly as possible, she tried to wave him down but he was too wrapped up in the conversation with the woman in front of him to pay any attention to Katniss. When the woman turned slightly in her chair to lay her hand on Gale's arm her profile became more clear and Katniss froze mid wave and the word "Fuck" rang loud and clear in her head. It was her, one of the women in the hotel room. 

"No way did I think he'd pry your dimpled knees apart." Those words had been burned into her memory. They haunted her every time she closed her eyes. She hadn't recognized his friend because her hair lay flat in a short 20's style bob instead of in the punky hairstyle it had been before. 

One thing was for sure, she was not waiting any longer to leave. She would just send them all a text and ask forgiveness later. Katniss downed the rest of her drink in one gulp, hoping for some liquid courage and quickly scanned around the room in hopes that he was nowhere in sight. When it looked like the coast was clear, with shaking hands she threw on her jacket, picked up her purse and cut her way as stealthily as she could through the thick crowd. After what seemed like forever pushing her way through drunk happy people, she finally approached the front door and she breathed a little sigh of relief. She was so focused on getting to the door that granted her escape that when a hard body cut off her path she collided straight into it. The stop was so sudden, she briefly lost her balance and she felt herself go backwards, but two large hands grabbed her arms to prevent her from falling on her ass. She looked up to apologize and her breath caught painfully in her throat because there he stood before her, still gripping her arms tightly, an unreadable expression on his face. She wanted to push him away and run towards the door as fast as her short legs could take her, but she was completely frozen. 

"Dumb fucking luck," were the words that screamed in her head. She barely recognized him because of the way he was dressed. A dark beanie was pulled over his hair, only a few curls peeking out from the bottom. His suit was replaced by a tight grey long-sleeved henley and dark blue jeans. She couldn't help but curse at the fates because he looked so damn delicious dressed down as a normal guy. 

"Thank god. Katniss, we need to talk," was all he said but the urgent pleading in his voice and expression made her hesitate for a moment.

"No, I'm not doing this. Peeta, I'm tired and I want to go home. Just please let me go. What's done is done. Let's both move on and forget it ever happened," she deflated as she spoke the words, not interested in fighting him. She just wanted far away from him, but clearly he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"But I don't want to forget. How could I?" He suddenly looked up and noticed all the people around them. Most of them were involved in their own conversations, but a few were curiously looking over at them. 

Before she could even begin to protest, he pulled her into the shadow under the stairs to the balcony and pressed her up against the wall. His scent was overwhelming and her eyes tightly shut as she fought the urge to touch him. His hands pressed into the curve of her waist, pressing lightly against her skin under her shirt. The warmth of his hands burnt right through her skin and she resented the tingling sensation that burst in her stomach. She should have brought up her hands to push to push him away, but instead they lay useless at her sides as she fought for control over her body and emotions.

"Peeta, I don't want to fight with you. You got what you want, it's over with. Just go back to your pretty life and leave me alone," she couldn't look at him as she said the words, instead directed her glance over her shoulder to the crowds milling just a few feet away and the door that seemed even more out of reach.

"Please just listen to me," a hand gently touched her chin but she still refused to look at him and shook it off her. His hand hovered in the air for a moment before he weaved his fingers into the tendrils at the base her neck. He scratched his fingertips softly against her skull, causing shivers to shoot throughout her entire body. She looked up at him briefly, seeing a contemplative look on his face as his eyes focused on his movements. 

"I don't know if I can trust you," she said so softly he could barely hear her over the noise of the bar. "I doubt you have anything to say that can change my mind."

"You're right, I don't," he said, his tone laced with such defeat that she couldn't help but turn her head to look at him and they silently assessed each other, the world outside of them growing dimmer. She wanted to say something, anything to make him understand but the words were stuck in her throat and her lips remained firmly shut. In the end she decided to break their stalemate and slide away but his left hand tightened on her waist, stopping her and before she could protest his eyes steeled with determination and his lips closed upon her own.

She was expecting a demanding kiss from him, the ones he'd always given her, but was surprised when he did the opposite. Instead of his tongue pushing insistently into her mouth, he just savored the feel of her lips, caressing them softly, moving his own gently over hers. He took a deep breath, taking in her scent and she followed, her chest pressing upward into his own while her hands found themselves in the curls on the back of his head. He pulled away slightly, the soft skin of his lips still barely brushing against her own, his eyes tightly closed as he deeply breathed in through his nose. She let out a quiet "Peeta," not quite sure what she was pleading for. Still he didn't take the opportunity to kiss her deeply but instead lay his lips in the crook just below her ears.

"You're right, I don't have anything that I could say that would change you mind," he whispered into her ear making her hair stand on end, "But I'll show you. I'll prove to you that it was real. It still is real." And this time when his lips pressed against her own, his hands pushing into her skin tightly, she lost all sense of herself and when his tongue licked the seam of her lips she felt as if she had been marked.

When he pulled away she couldn't open her eyes to look at him but she felt the loving kiss he left on her forehead. When she was finally brave enough to open her eyes, he was gone, leaving her alone in the shadow of the stairs. It was going to be a long while before she had strength in her legs to leave the little sanctuary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again! As always feedback is appreciated. Have a general outline but still undecided on how angsty to make this.


	6. Turning Direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last we saw our lovely couple, Peeta was leaving Katniss weak in the knees under balcony stairs, lets see how Peeta got there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a long time since the last update and I apologize for that. Thanks to everyone who asked me when I would be updating. Hopefully the next one won't take so long and only a couple more chapters to go. This story is going longer than I thought it would. Thanks to my beta dianaflynn22!

_A Few Days Before_

Peeta didn't know how long he knelt at the feet of the woman who raised him; it could have been moments or maybe even hours, all he knew was that for the first time in a really long time he finally felt like he was home. He was probably squeezing her a little bit too hard but she was squeezing him back almost just as much with strong weathered hands. Eventually he felt a hand glide through his hair before she pushed him slightly away.

"Well come on inside before the neighbors start talking. Old Betty Miller's tongue will surely be wagging right now. Probably spread it to everyone that I have a young lover by the end of today." Peeta couldn’t help but chuckle at the sharp tongued old lady with a sly grin on her face. It may have been a while since he last saw her but he knew his Sae was probably tickled pink at the thought causing gossip to run rampant through the neighborhood. 

Peeta dusted his knees off after he stood up and followed the her house. It was everything he expected it to be - cozy and warm just like her. The front door went directly into the living room and connected to a small dining room off to the right. Light peeped through a door to the kitchen where he could hear someone singing along to a song on the radio. She directed him to a comfy overstuffed couch and he slumped into it gratefully. When she sat next to him, he grabbed her hand tightly and gave it a soft kiss on her weathered knuckles before bringing their joined hands between them.

"So my boy, it seems like you have had quite the weekend," she started off as she gave him a pat on the knee. "We got a lot of catching up to do, but maybe you want to start with that?"

"Wait? Huh?" he said awkwardly, fumbling for his words. "How did you know about that?"

"I'm psychic," she deadpanned but she laughed hard at her own joke before he could even begin to ask. "Son, it's not like you're the most unknown person in the world so when you run out in your skivvies there are bound to be people there to take pictures."

"Oh god no," he said, as his head fell into his hands, "I didn't think about that. Clearly I wasn't thinking it all, I just wanted to get to her. How bad is it?"

"It could be worse, at least you looked good," she answered as she shoved his shoulder with her own before yelling out, "Ellie! Come help me with the computer."

Peeta looks over in the direction of the light steps coming his way and found his favorite little girl looking closer to a young a woman. A smile broke out on his face as he jumped off the couch. 

"Peeta!" she exclaimed happily, throwing herself into his arms and he hugged her a little too tightly as he spun her around.

"I missed you little peanut," he told her as he put her back down on her feet, "How old are you now, fourteen? And how are you?"

"Yup!" She answered, popping her P. "I'm doing great! I really like my new school and I have all these best friends and nobody makes fun of me anymore. And Bobby even asked me to be his girlfriend and he holds my hand when we walk to class. And I work at at a Pet Hospital after school sometimes and get to take care of all the cute animals!"

Peeta opened up his mouth to tell her how proud he was but before he could get a word out Sae interrupted. "My love you're going to talk his ear off. You can tell him everything over dinner. Can you get the computer and bring up those articles you found?"

"Yes Nana!" She sprinted over to the hallway and ran back into the living room in a flash and jumped onto the couch next to Peeta and cozied up to him. With a quick work of her fingers, she brought articles filled with images of him running out of the hotel and to the taxi holding Katniss. He heaved a huge sigh of relief when he realized that at least there was not one image of her face. At the most there was of the back of her head in a few pictures, so at least she is safe from scrutiny.

"Me and Nana were giggling this morning over all the pictures of you in your undies, you're so silly," Ellie told him. 

"You did! Well let's see if I can make you giggle now," he said with a laugh and proceeded to lightly tickle the cheerful girl. 

"Okay miss Ellie, you have some homework to do, so off with you," Sae said. At her pout, Sae just shook her head. "Oh don't start, you can catch up with Peeta later. Now give him a hug and off with you."

"Yes Nana," she said obediently then squeezed the life out Peeta before she bounced up and jogged off to her room.

"She looks good, she looks real happy," Peeta said with a small smile on her face. "I always think about her, worry about how she's doing."

"Well, she hasn't had it easy. She probably never will. But she's strong and she knows her value. That little girl is filled with love and now she's in a place that sees it. She wants to work with animals, she's real good at it too. So the future is bright. I'm keeping an eye on that Bobby Flanagan though, believe you me."

Peeta let out a large laugh before he threw an arm around Sae. Poor Bobby, Sae was not somebody you wanted to reckon with. They sat there in pleasant silence for awhile before Peeta asked what had been on his mind for so many years.

"Sae, what happened? Why did you leave? I mean why did mother throw you out? She never explained to me what happened," he asked sounding more like the boy of fifteen he was when he saw her last. 

"Your mother was never one for patience, but I was mostly able to stay out of her way. I was too lowly for her attention anyway. I always dealt with the head of staff or your aunt Juniper. She was a nice one, such a kind heart, we got along real well. Your father should have married her instead but that's neither here nor there." With a sigh, Sae got off the couch and stiffly made her way to the the fireplace where she picked up a picture before she came back and sat back down next to him. She put the picture into his hands and he found his five year old self beaming back at him from within the circle of Sae's arms. 

"I don't know, there was something about you Peeta. You were so loving, so bright, so sweet. You were my little baby, more than your brothers." She smirked and nudged him with her shoulder. "Oh don't be so smug, and don't you dare tell them what I said, they're sensitive lads." They both let out a chuckle of camaraderie at the brothers that gave them both plenty of headaches. 

"I loved you a lot to Sae. You were everything to me. I was devastated when you left," he said softly as he squeezed her weathered hand. 

"It devastated me too sugar," she answered, squeezing his hand back. "I don't think I've felt right until I saw you at the door just now. A hole has been missing in my heart pumpkin," she said as her voice choked on the words. He squeezes her hand a little harder as he sees the unshed tears glisten in her eyes. She takes a deep breath, and the strong determined Sae comes back into view instead of the broken one.

"Your mother is a bitch, that's the long and short of it. Her and Juni had a falling out. She didn't approve of your aunt's 'low class' boyfriend so I don't blame Juni for packing up and taking off to get married. I didn't realize how vulnerable that would make the rest of us when your mother was forced to check into what was going on in the household. One day she came to see what you were up to and found you playing with Ellie, who was around six at the time, and she was completely livid."

"I remember that, Ellie wanted to have a tea party, so I joined her and all her stuffed toys. When she came in, her face turned so many shades of red."

"And you remember what happened after that didn't you? She enrolled you into that exclusive private boys school across the country. She thought you weren't acting manly enough for a prince. On top of that she stormed over to me and called me and Ellie everything under the sun. She didn't believe it was proper for a prince to be consorting with the 'mentally retarded' because it was beneath you. She said I was irresponsible and a bad influence on you so she gave me an ultimatum, either I get rid of Ellie and clean up my act or I was fired on the spot. She said things were going to be run differently, properly now that Juniper was gone. I packed and left the very next day. She didn’t even let me say goodbye."

"God, I didn't know, I should have put it together. She wouldn't talk to me about where you went. Basically she implied that you didn't want to work at the palace anymore but didn't say why. Nobody would say anything. Then I was shipped off and I never had a chance to do anything about it," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck roughly. "If I hadn’t spent so much time feeling so angry and betrayed that you left, I could have done something. I could have tried to bring you back. I should have stopped it."

"What were you supposed to do? You were just a boy, even if you did think you were all grown up. And we both know that she's always held all the cards. We do what she says and that's the end of it." She answered as she patted his knee soothingly. "But that's water under the bridge, we can't do nothing about the past. I knew you'd find your way back to me eventually."

"Well it was Finnick who suggested it. He missed you too, all the time he spent at the palace while you tried to rein us in," Peeta said.

"I still talk to his former nanny Mags, you know," she said with a smile in her voice. "He comes to visit her at least twice a month. That boy has a lot of swagger but he's a good one."

"Not that he'll ever admit that. He has a reputation to keep up," he says with a laugh. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, just content to be in each other's company. As Peeta held her weathered hand in his own he couldn't stop the regret that pressed into his chest and made it hard to breathe. So many years lost where he could have had somebody who truly loved and cared about him. Maybe he wouldn't be the fuckup that he was now. Somebody who wasn't worth anything to anybody beyond his title and connections. 

Somehow Sae read his dark thoughts because she brought her hand up to his face and turned it toward her. "Remember, it's all water under the bridge. We can't change yesterday but we can work on tomorrow. I'm just happy you're here now," she said, her eyes firm with the truth.

"Me too Sae, me too," he answered before he brought her into a warm hug.

"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. You need to tell me about this lady that had you running outside in your underwear. She must have been quite something," she said with a slap to his knee. The knowing smirk on her lips and sparkle in her eye was enough to actually make him feel the heat of blood rush to his cheeks.

"She's everything I never knew I wanted. I hardly know her yet I feel like I've known her all my life. She's funny, sarcastic, smart, adorable, gorgeous, and god she's so damn sexy but completely oblivious to it." Peeta shook his head slightly, a far off goofy expression on his face and Sae knew that the kid was a goner. He alway was the softest among the boys.

"Well, that's all good stuff but you still haven't told me who she is. Where did you meet her, what's her name?" she asked nudging him to continue.

"Her name is Katniss Everdeen and I met her at the Conservatory of Flowers when I was sent to represent the family at the Gala," Peeta rushed out. He turned to Sae and her lips were pressed tightly together. He opened up his mouth to speak but before he could, she burst out with a loud sharp laugh and started to shake her head. 

"Wow Peeta, you always did go for the brass ring. I should have known." Sae let out another little laugh at the adorable look of confusion that screwed his face. He looked just like the sweet boy of five she knew who would sit and stare at a puzzle until he got it right.

"Wait, you know her? How do you know her?"

"This isn't the Capitol Peeta, we all know each other around here. Besides, I volunteer at the Conservatory a couple times of week and we hit it off pretty instantly. She also comes by with her friends to the Bar & Grill I own," she answered. 

"Katniss isn't some girl to play around with. She's a good woman, who's had to grow up too fast and had her heart broken one too many times. I don't want you going after her unless you're serious about having something with her. And I mean it." And boy did Sae mean it because the hard pointed look she gave him was exactly what he saw as a child countless times when she meant business. Nothing ever good ever came in trying to defy her.

Peeta threw up his hands, a small amused smile on his lips as he conceded, "Scout's honor Sae. I'm not going to play around with her, those days are over. I just want to be with her."

As she took in Peeta's honest open expression her stern mouth melted into an open smile. "You were always the best scout in the bunch. Damn boy you have got it bad."

"I sure do Sae," was his short and simple answer.

"Well, I've got an idea then. But you're gonna have to work hard. Are you up to it? Looks like you've grown kinda soft. Your hands are smoother than a baby's bottom."

"Sae, I'm up for anything," he said as he once again squeezed her to him.

"Well then we are just gonna have to come up with a plan. I find I think the best when I'm cooking. Fried chicken sound good to you?" She didn't wait for his answer because she was off the couch quicker than he expected a woman of her age. And he figured even if they didn't come up with anything, at least he would be eating some damn good chicken.

____________________

_A Few Days Later_

Peeta pulled the knitted cap lower over his bright hair before he tried to enter the bar as unobtrusively as possible. So far nobody paid him any attention, but all it took was one person to notice him, and the evening would be over before it even started. He paired it with thick black glasses and that seemed to do the trick in becoming inconspicuous, not one person glanced his way. He just hoped that his luck held out for the rest of the evening. 

While he peered around the room, looking for his friends, he couldn't help but notice that Sae had built quite the place for herself. The dark wood of the bar was handsomely carved and seemed to be out of the art deco period, yet the whole place was warm and cozy. It was set up so you could drink, eat, play a round of pool, and even get a little dancing in on a small open space if you were up to it. She had done very well since she left the family and he couldn't help the swell of pride that rose up. He finally spotted Finnick and Johanna nestled into a cozy round booth at the back of room. With his head down, he tried to be as unobtrusive as possible as he made his way past the long bar and to his friends. 

When they two spotted him, Finnick greeted him with an excited hello while Johanna simply gave him a quirked eyebrow and an expression filled with curiosity. 

"So Peeta bread what brings us to this fine establishment today?" Finnick threw out at him, as he slid his way into the booth next to him.

"Yeah, curious minds want to know," Johanna continued. "We hadn't heard from you in a couple of days and we were starting to wonder if we should send the Royal guard out to rescue you. Then out of the blue you ask us to come here. Nice place by the way. "

"Thanks for coming guys," Peeta said, his voice warm with gratitude. His whole demeanor seemed to be different. The stressed despondent man they had seen last time seemed to be gone. Neither was he the Peeta they become used to, the regimented public statesman by day or the wild party boy drinking his nights away. Instead they were all replaced with a person they hadn't seen for a long time, the real Peeta who gave a warm steady smile and a cheerful attitude. He looked almost happy.

Finnick leaned over and looked over his friend before asking, "So what happened? Why didn't you come back to the hotel? What are we doing here?" 

"I did try to come back but I could see the paps and reporters hanging outside the entrance from two blocks away so I turned around and headed back to Sae's. I was hoping you two would be fine without me. I know it's hard being in a luxury hotel by yourself without my company." he answered.

"Ahhh! No wonder you look so relaxed, you've been eating all her home cooking," said Finnick as he poked him in the shoulder. 

"Damn I'm jealous!" Johanna exclaimed. "Invite us over, I want some good eating Peeta."

"Of course you can come over dear, any time. But you can also eat just as good over here. I'll bring some grub out for you." Peeta hadn't heard the old woman approach the table but there she stood, two beers in her hand. She sat promptly down next to Peeta and pushed him over she could get comfortable before handing him one of the glasses.

"Good to see you again Finnick." Sae gave him a warm smile and he answered with a confident wink in her direction. "And you must be Johanna Mason. I hear you're quite the spitfire."

"Nice to finally meet the famous Sae." She offered over her hand which Sae confidently took in her own and gripped a little too tightly causing a grimace to flash across Johanna's face before she quickly masked it. 

"So you're probably wondering why you're here at my fine restaurant tonight," she said as they all nodded their heads in return. "Well that was my doing. I called up Peeta and had him bring backup. Tonight should be pretty damn interesting."

"What do you mean?" asked Peeta as he took a big swig of his beer.

"Well, as you know I was off volunteering at the Conservatory of Flowers today and wouldn't you know it, I bump into one sweet little Annie Cresta. Now, I ain't one to gossip, but she sure does and especially to me. So after five minutes she's telling me all about Katniss and how she wants to drag her out tonight and make her feel better. Well, what better place than Sae's!" She finished with a proud smile and a thump on the table.

"Wait Katniss is here right now?" Peeta exclaimed, and pulled himself up and peered around trying to find her. 

"Settle down," Sae said as she pushed him back down on this seat. "She's not here yet, but she will be soon. And this is why I need your friends."

"Tell me this has to do with sweet little Annie Cresta," Finnick interjected with a promising smirk curling his lips. 

"Always knew you were a smart boy. And that would be a yes. She's coming with a pretty big group. Now her friends Madge and Thresh will be wrapped around each other in pretty short time but that still leaves Annie and Gale sticking around."

"Is Gale pretty? It will be difficult but I can handle two ladies. I'll take one for the team." Peeta shook his head as Finnick leaned back into the seat throwing his hands behind his head confidently as he raised his eyebrows a couple of times at the promise of what was to come.

“Okay, so why the fuck am I here again? I could be watching Housewives go at it instead,” Johanna pouted. 

“You’re gonna be the one distracting Gale,” Sae said.

“Well I haven’t tried using my charms on a woman, but I guess it can’t be all that different,” Johanna shrugged.

“I’m sure you would be good at it dear, but Gale is a man,” Sae said with a laugh. “You both can always swap.” Peeta let out a snort and barely contained the beer in his mouth at her glib remark. 

Finnick let out a good laugh as well. “That’s a relief. My talents lie in concentrating on one lady at a time. I like to make a gal feel special.” 

“You shock me Finnick,” Johanna said with a mock gasp. “Mr. Playboy extraordinaire? Slowing down?”

“Enough children! Katniss and the crew are coming pretty soon,” Sae interrupted firmly cutting through the back and forth. 

“If this is going to work, you’ll have to set yourself in different spots away from Peeta. It’s best you’re not seen with him for this to work,” Sae directed. “Johanna, why don’t you set up at the bar and I’ll get you a nice cocktail to warm you up. Finnick, you know how to play pool right? Actually, never mind that. Annie loves to display her skills so it doesn’t really matter how good you are. ”

The three just stared dumbly at her in response so she rolled her eyes and clapped her hands together saying, “Chop chop. Don’t waste time now. They’ll be here any moment. We can save exposition for later.” 

Both Finnick and and Johanna looked a little dumbstruck as they nodded their heads and scooted out of the booth without their usual protests, heading towards their assigned spots. Peeta just chuckled at them before he turned back to Sae. “How the hell do you do that? I can’t get those two to shut up for more than five minutes and they did what you wanted without a single word!" He said befuddled but amused at the same time. 

"Honey, I've had years and years of practice getting children to do what I want them to. Those two are so easy. Now you sit tight, I'll have Bristol bring over some more beer and a burger for you. You're still too damn skinny." Sae patted him on his shoulder as she moved to get up. He softly tugged her arm to stop her.

"How about me? What do I do? When do I know when to approach her?" he asked.

"You just stick here, be pretty, and stay the hell out of the way. I'll give you a signal when you should go after her. In the meantime, just tuck that hair in and leave those glasses on." She leaned over and gave a small peck on his forehead that made him feel five all over again but loved at the same time. Then she flashed him a quick wink before making her way back to the bar. Peeta had to just resign himself to waiting patiently, and that was never his strong suit.

Five minutes seemed to be an hour as he watched people flow in and out of the bar, laughing and chatting around him while all he could do was just stare obsessively at the door. The waitress brought him a burger and fries but he barely paid attention to the taste of it, instead chewing on the food mindlessly, more to keep him busy than to make himself full. He glanced over at Johanna at the bar and she was gossiping away with one of the female bartenders with not a care in the world it seemed. Finnick was already in the middle of a pool game with a very large biker who seemed as if he could crack either one of them in half if he wanted to. But Finnick's charms not only worked on women and the dude was acting as if his bronzed-haired friend was his best buddy. 

Peeta drummed his fingers against the table as he continued to nervously look around him. Impatience to see Katniss wasn't the only thing that had his nerves shot. This was the first time he had been in public since the incident happened and his underwear clad body was splashed across the headlines. He was dubbed the The Naked Prince and he was sure that there were still reporters lurking around the area trying to get an exclusive. But not one person looked his ways besides some occasional flirty glances. So he tried to relax with his second beer even though it wasn't really working. 

Soon he was fiddling in his seat so much out of nervousness that he decided maybe it was best to just call it quits. It was no use if he met Katniss again as a nervous wreck. He was about to tell Sae he better try another time when a spirited group entered through the door. Right in the middle of a chaotic swirl of happy chatty people was Katniss, looking as beautiful as ever, even if a little grumpy. Fortunately they settled in a couple of booths down, just close enough so he can spy on her. He felt uncomfortable lurking after her like some creeper but just seeing her again made him feel like a load had been lifted from him. If it wasn't for Sae signaling to him to stay seated he would have jumped up and gone to her right then and there, friends be damned. 

God he felt like a stalker as he spied on her while she playfully interacted with her friends. She tossed her head back in a husky laugh at what a girl next to her said and he could feel the heat of jealousy rise up inside as she laid her hand on the tall dark-haired man next to her. He couldn’t help but wonder who was that guy that she was so comfortable around. Had she moved on so quickly? Maybe she had a boyfriend the entire time. Just as he could feel himself rising from his seat, a firm hand clamped on his shoulder and pushed him back down, then another beer was plopped right down in front of him. 

“Cool your jets Peeta. You need to be patient,” said Sae as she stood over him with amusement lining her face. “I know what you’re thinking but you have nothing to worry about. That’s her friend Gale, she’s never seen him as more than a brother. And look over there, Jo’s doing quite the job grabbing his attention anyway.”

And sure enough, he could see that Gale’s attention kept getting pulled back to his friend at the bar. At first it was just subtle brief glances over to her in curiosity, then after awhile the glances became lingering looks filled with silent communication and promise. Eventually, Gale leaned over to tell the group something then got up and headed over to the bar and grabbed a stool next to Jo. One thing he could say about Johanna was that she was no amateur. As he ordered a drink from the crowded bar, she played it so cool and coy like she was in no way affected by his presence, but her body leaning slightly against his told a different story. When he started to talk to her, she gave him the up down before her eyelids lowered and she gave him a soft smirk filled with promise. And as they leaned into each other to talk over the noise, there might as well not have been any other person in the bar. When Gale reached over to pay for his drink, Johanna leaned back and gave Peeta a wink and mouthed "Oh yes," before quickly bringing her attention back to the attractive man next to her. Well, that was one friend down.

"I told you it would work. And I wouldn't pimp out your friend to someone she wouldn't like. Gale may be a huge stick in the mud 50% of the time, but I think he just needs someone carefree like Jo to loosen him up a little," Sae said with as a satisfied smile stretched across her beautifully wrinkled face. 

"But we still have three other friends surrounding her, what if I lose my chance," Peeta said just as nervous as ever. If he had a bottle of beer in front of him he would have pulled the label off in pieces. Instead he occupied his wriggling fingers with the bar napkin. 

"Don't worry so much, besides you don't have that much longer. Look," she directed his attention back to the table where Annie was lifting herself out of the booth. She gave a soft squeeze to Katniss's shoulder and seemed to be asking her if she was going to be okay and at her friend's reassuring smile, she turned around and walked determinedly to the pool table. When she arrived Finnick had just finished up a game and was leaning lightly against the table with the most self-satisfied grin stretched across his face. Which is the reason why Peeta sometimes avoided playing pool with Finnick because he was intolerable when he was on a winning streak. Finnick was good and he knew it. 

Annie wasn't impressed however. Her only acknowledgement was the raising of one single eyebrow, her arms crossed across her chest, and her hip popped out as she gave him the up and down. She then tossed back her hair and headed to rack to pick out a cue. It was on from there. Both were equally matched and they quickly played game after game. At first Annie hardly acknowledged Finn besides indicating when it was his turn to go, but as the competition heated up, the beers flowed, their acrimony turned into good nature jibbing and he found his friend genuinely enjoying himself for the first time in a long time. There was no pretence, no fake smile, or put on charms, just honest laughter interspersed between their conversation and hits of the ball. Seeing him take off his false facade so easily was surprising and he wondered what was with this girl Annie. 

He was so caught up in checking out what was happening with his friends that he hadn't realized how much time had passed since he had last checked on Katniss and when he looked over what he found wasn't good, not at all. She was looking intensely in Finnick's direction and he saw the dawn of recognition shine on her face, and his stomach dropped with the flicker of intense emotion that crossed her face. Panic set in as she started gathering up her things and she looked to her friend to wave him down. Her hand froze in mid air and in that moment he knew then that she recognized Johanna as well, and he also knew that this would be his one window of opportunity. 

He jumped up a little bit too quickly, almost knocking his drink and if it hadn't been for Sae's steady hand it would have spilled right across the table. But he took no notice, instead he was already halfway across the room in an attempt to beat her to the door. And by miracle he did. But the scathing expression on her face was enough to burn right into his soul and leave him feeling a fumbling schoolboy of fifteen. What was worse was the look of defeat that replaced it. Never before had he been faced with such consequences for his actions and he felt the sensation of overwhelming guilt rush over him.

So when she threw out "I doubt you have anything to say that can change my mind," he found the words stuck in his throat because he was faced with the truth. He did have nothing that would change her mind at this moment. To be honest he had thought nothing of the consequences of charming and seducing her when he first met her, as shallow as it seemed. It was something he was very used to doing and good at it. It was only in getting to know her that everything had changed. But at the same time he couldn't let her go, he wouldn't let her go. She brought out something good inside him he'd forgotten was there. So when she started to slide away from him, instinct kicked in and he found himself dragging her to him and pulling her beautiful lips to his own. He fully expected he'd get a slap across the face, but he felt his heart soar as her lips opened to his own and once again they got lost in the beautiful dance. 

That is when hope burned brightly again and he knew he wouldn't give up without a fight. He would somehow prove they were worth fight for, so he told her just that. Because after feeling her soft lips back on his own and her warm breath across his lips as she sighed, he was certain she had the same feelings he did. As much as he wanted to take her somewhere private, to talk, to taste, to kiss, to touch, he knew that it was too soon. So somehow he was able to gather the strength to have patience and left her with a gentle kiss on her forehead, a simple gesture he hoped to convey how much he felt about her. 

He made his way back towards Sae and he could see her face eager and anxious for news of what happened. So he sat back down next to her and with a fortifying gulp of his beer asked, "Do you know if the Conservatory has any more volunteer opportunities?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to aaltena26, tanb, honeylime, shellibug, azflower, SparklesMartini, AyuBatrisyia, shannon, addictfordramatics for leaving comments


	7. That Feeling That Burns Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss can't seem to shake Peeta no matter how much she tries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this chapter took a lot longer than I thought to come out. So sorry for the wait. Thank you every one who pushed me to keep going on here and on tumblr. This story definitely has not been dropped. Thanks as always to my beta diana_flynn who also did the beautiful banner and my friend MCamp2121 for lighting the fire under me to keep going.

** Chapter 7 - That feeling that burns inside **

"You're acting funny." A small but strong body plopped heavily on the couch causing Katniss to bounce up slightly. She looked over at her sweet little sister who had a mischievous turn of her mouth as she chewed on a slice of pizza, a twinkle of analytical curiosity in her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katniss denied, as she tried to concentrate on the housewives who were currently throwing tables out of the way so they could get to each other. It didn't happen every episode, but when it did, it was awesome.

"Your sister's right you know. I mean you're usually quiet at the best of times, but this whole evening you've been completely out of it," Madge said on the other side of her. Katniss chose to keep chewing her slice and watch as water was thrown and a glass was smashed against the table. Some days she wished she could let loose and do the same. 

"Oh, don't ignore me Katniss. You never ignore me! So now I definitely know something is up, so you better spill. Now." Prim gave her a strong nudge to her shoulder that knocked her against her friend who in turn knocked her right back. Her head turned swiftly and she leveled her little sister what she hoped was a vicious glare but turned into something that must have resembled an angry kitten since laughter light up Prim's bright face. 

"I am not acting funny, I am being totally normal Prim." Katniss took the opportunity to attack the vulnerable sides of her ticklish sister but when a defensive knee took a perfect shot to her ribs that completely took her breath away. 

Prim's eyes widened in embarrassed horror and her mouth formed an O as guilt reddened her cheeks but then she shook her head and her mouth formed a firm line. "Well, you deserved that Kat. You know how ticklish I am. Besides you're totally ignoring me right now. I’m not a baby anymore. Come on! Please! Tell me!” she whined plaintively. 

“Yes, tell us!” Madge whined back as well in the same annoying tone as her sister. 

"I don't want to talk about it. Enough!" Katniss tried her hardest to level a firm hard stare at them. She could ignore the amused smirk on her friend’s face but as soon as she saw Prim's lower lip tremble ever so slightly, she lost all resolve.

"God you're both impossible!" she said as she threw up her hands and leveled a frown at Prim's triumphant expression. 

"I know, but you love me anyway," she answered as Prim sidled up close to her sister and threw her arm up and over her shoulder before snuggling in further. She then looked up at Katniss through her eyelashes and said softly as though she was whispering a secret, "Is it that prince I saw on TV? That was you wasn't it?"

Madge snorted, “Hah! A prince! That’s funny Prim. Now you’re really letting your imagination get away from you.” But as she looked over at Katniss' expression, and took in her saucer-like eyes and blushing cheeks and the laughter quickly died from her lips. “Katniss, she’s wrong right? I mean it's not that you couldn’t pull that, because you’re hot, even though you don’t realize it, but I mean, Prince Alexander? That doesn’t happen to people like us. I'll shut up now.”

“He goes by Peeta,” Katniss mumbled as she looked down and put down the rest of her food on the coffee table. 

"So it was you! I knew it!" Prim exclaimed, poking Katniss in the side. At Katniss' deepening glare Prim babbled on, "You know it's not like I live under a rock. I saw pictures online and there was one with the back of your head in the cab and I can recognize your big head anywhere!"

"You didn't tell anybody right?" she asked as she bit her lip.

"Of course not! I don't think Mom even knows. I didn't want to start spreading the good news until I knew for sure that you'd be a princess!"

"I am not going to be a princess, silly ducky." Now it was her turn to poke her little sister in the side, drawing out a few giggles.

"That's what you think, I know better. Besides he was like running after you! In his undies Katniss. His undies!! And he's so dreamy." Prim let out a little sigh and far off look filled her eyes and she felt like the worst person in the world having to kill her little daydream, but there was no way that was ever going to happen.

“Oh my god Katniss this is epic! I think I’m going to hyperventilate. I need to tell Thresh right now. Do you think we can have dinner with him? Wait never mind that, I don’t think I’d be able to do it. He’s so gorgeous, I’d make a fool of myself and then Thresh would dump me. It wouldn’t be pretty. But you Katniss! You brat! You didn’t tell! Oh my best friend is going to be a princess!”

"Ladies, stop! Don't get ahead of yourself. He's going to go back to his big fancy house in the Capitol and I'll be left in peace. Nothing is going to happen ever. Ever."

The girls both stopped cold and stared down Katniss. She resisted with all her might not to squirm away. “What? It’s the truth. It’s not a big deal anyway,” she said as she awkwardly reached for her bottle of root beer and rolled it around in her hands and tearing the paper label away.

“Okay someone has UST.” Madge pursed her lips and gave her a observant look. Madge rolled her eyes when she saw the confusion on her face. "You know Katniss, Unresolved Sexual Tension. UST. It's clear as day, right Prim?" And her sister commenced nodding her head in avid agreement. God, she hated it when Madge was a know-it-all.

"So clearly you're not happy. Most girls would be going crazy! You are just not normal. Not that you ever are. So spill, what the hell happened. I need all the details. Well not all the details. Just tell me why you're so moody. Well more than usual," Madge said pressing the issue.

“Did he do something bad?” Prim asked innocently.

"Because he was a monumental ass. And he knows it. And now he wants to make it up to me and he won't leave me alone!" Katniss finally confessed in frustration as she threw up her hands.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Prim asked clearly confused.

"No! Well, I don't know. God he makes my head hurt." Katniss tossed her head back against the back of the couch and rubbed her forehead before she sat back up and finally decided to just confess to them an edited definitely PG-13 version what happened over the week.

__________________________________

“Katniss get over here!” Haymitch hollered to her as she entered the office and put her bag down on her desk. 

“You yelled?” she asked as she poked her head into the door of his private office. This was something that wasn’t new. By his outward demeanor you would think he was the worst boss in the world, but it was actually the exact opposite. Under that crusty exterior was a heart of gold who really cared about his employees. But on a Monday morning, she wished he would just tone it down when she hadn’t had a chance to get her first cup of coffee. 

"Change of plans Kat, you're not going out into the grounds today to supervise the replanting on the east end, so send Annie out there instead," he ordered without looking up from his paperwork. 

Katniss sighed and rubbed her forehead, she could already feel a headache forming. "Okay boss, I have been working on these plans for weeks now, why am I suddenly being pulled? Did I do something wrong?

"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous," he said matter-of-factly as he finally looked up at her, a permanent scowl etched in his forehead. "It's because you've been so thorough working up the plans, that I'm certain it will be fine if you're not there for a day. What won't be fine is the children's center. Bristol has the flu and spread it to Cara and there is no one to supervise the volunteers and we have a big group coming in today. I need you in there making sure everything runs smoothly."

"But Haymitch.." she started to protest, but he cut her off with a wave of the hand.

"No buts. Duties as required remember. We need to have a staff member in there. Besides you helped Bristol design the program and our lead volunteer Sae will be there as backup. Now get yourself a cup of joe, I know you'll need it. I just brewed a pot." And with a wave of his hand he completely dismissed her and she could tell his mind was already on to other pressing matters.

With a sigh, Katniss turned around and went to the kitchen to pour herself the much needed caffeine. It’s not like she didn’t like working at the Children’s Center, she always had a good time. It’s just on a Monday morning she wasn’t ready for the amount of energy it took to wrangle the kids and parents alike. Not to mention, she had been looking forward to just being out on the grounds today in the fresh air with the sun warming her skin. 

She grabbed Bristol’s dayplanner off her desk and took a moment to relax at her desk with her coffee as she got familiar what the schedule ahead of her. She just thanked god the woman was organized to a fault. Once she was comfortable with everything she headed over to Annie and the crew to get them started before she marched over to the children’s education center to really get her day started. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, today they would be working with a local school with the the 2nd graders and she thanked god it wouldn't be sassy high school students. That was just the age when they were excited about everything and it was always heart-warming to see the little ones get so thrilled learning about plants, nature, and the world around them.

She entered through the double doors and found a class of about 40 students sitting in the round sunken in learning area. She had been prepared to get the usual noise of rambunctious children eager to be out of school, but instead they sat quietly, in rapt attention while they listened to a story being told. Actually ‘told’ was a simple description, acted out was a better way of putting it. She was immediately swept away herself by the animated way he was telling the story. His timing made him seem like the Pied Piper pulling you in. But it wasn’t just his skills as a narrator that had her transfixed. It was his familiar voice. A voice that made her ache deeply and joyous at the same time. The person doing the story-telling was none other than Peeta himself. She was left stunned, as if she had been smacked in the face hard by a heavy oak door, actually more so. The question of 'What the hell was going on?' throbbed in her head, causing a headache to form behind her eyes almost instantly. 

"He's great with them isn't he? Always was a natural with the little ones." Katniss startled at the voice right behind her. Sae had creeped up so silently next to her she didn't even realize that she was there. Either that or she was so stunned she hadn't paid attention to anything else.

"What?? I mean where...? Huh?" was all that she could get out. Her mouth opened and closed a few times useless and she pointed over a little too frantically at the man who had been haunting her dreams over the last few nights. 

"I know, it's quite surprising having the prince volunteer with us. Anybody who's recognized him has been just as surprised as you," Sae answered. "I used to take care of him when he was a wee lad. Cutest little thing you could imagine. He surprised me by showing up at my door out of the blue. So I figured I should keep him busy and suggested he volunteer here. But he's trying to keep a low profile so don't make a big fuss when you meet him. You can just call him Peeta."

"How is this even possible? I don't know if we can even allow this if he hasn't gone through the proper volunteer procedures," she spills out when she finally finds her words. She can barely process what's happening in front of her let alone the fact that she was just finding out Sae took care of him on top of that.

"Oh don't worry about that Katniss. The paperwork is all filled out and on Bristol's desk. Peeta didn't want any special favors. Haymitch approved it this morning. He really is good with the kids isn't he," Sae said with a bright smile on her face. Peeta had let out a large roar making the kids scream and giggle in delight. Katniss could feel her stomach tightening in an unwelcome feeling at the sight of such overwhelming adorableness. She was doomed. She couldn't help but think that somebody up there really hated her. 

When the story was over, students and teachers alike cheered and he gave them a gracious bow before bounding over to where they were standing, a cheerful eager grin spread across his handsome face.

“Hello Katniss, I mean, Ms. Everdeen. I hope this day finds you well it’s good to see you again,” he raised his hand politely to her and before she realized it she her own popped up. As soon as he gently brought her hand up to his lips and left a soft kiss, her whole body seemed to flush red from head to toe, and she wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or desire. She slipped her hand out as quick as possible and shot a glare in his direction in answer to the laughter playing on his lips. 

“Peeta,” she said shortly, her lips in a firm line. 

“Oh yes, you know each other! How could that have left my mind,” Sae declared. “Well I guess introductions aren’t needed after all. Shall we get started then?” 

Katniss nodded her head numbly and pushed past Peeta, trying to ignore the tingle on her arm that erupted as their arms momentarily touched. She turned around to see if they were following her only to see him offering an arm to Sae, a look of adoration shining on his face; her heart skipping a rebellious beat at the clear warmth he felt for her elderly friend. 

“Alright everyone. Anyone want to get their hands in some dirt?!” she announced loudly her melodic voice ringing with authority, getting the attention of everyone including the rambunctious children. With a cheer the kids rushed over and the day officially got started as she went over the activities they would be doing for their visit before they got to work.

Peeta was something else. The kids simply adored him, there was no other way to put it. He was their favorite person and they couldn’t get enough of him. She couldn’t help her surprise at watching him interact so naturally with the children. He was infinitely patient, enthusiastic, playful, and genuinely seemed to enjoy interacting with them. He was a natural, and it was such a departure from the buttoned-up unauthentic man she first met. She never would have expected this from any of the royal family. 

Katniss had the dim hope that she would be able to avoid Peeta as much as possible considering the hectic situation, but unfortunately they were also short one volunteer, so there was no way she could just sit back, supervise, and avoid being around him. Everything from touring the grounds, lessons on plant biology, to planting seedling, he was right there not afraid to be involved, helping the kids, and assisting in whatever way he could by her side. She just couldn't get away from him. 

And she wasn’t sure if he meant to but somehow his touch seemed to be constantly there as well. Nothing was ever invasive, just a hand on her shoulder as he passed by, or on the small of her back as she accidentally stepped back into him, on her elbow to help assist her up. The worst was when he accidentally bumped her with his firm bubble but. That time she swore it was on purpose, mostly because of the devilish smirk on his face. And every single spot vibrated long after he left. This resulted in her feeling like all her nerves were on fire by the end of the day. So basically she was incredibly turned on and she hated herself for it. 

By the time she got home she was exhausted, completely nerve-wracked, and an absolute mess. Added to that she was extremely turned on to the brink of overheating. So in essence she was a hot mess. As soon as she entered her house she rushed up to the bathroom and threw herself into the shower; turning the water all the way to cold but unfortunately it didn't help at all. She just came out shivering and in a worse mood than before. When she remembered the heat in his blue eyes every time he would look at her those shivers strengthened until she practically trembled. It ended up being a long sleepless night.

The next day wasn't any better because Bristol decided she needed one more day off so Katniss was stuck with him again. To her dismay, she quickly realized she was losing her battle of willpower. Instead of avoiding him, every time he came near, she seemed to lean into his direction, seek out his glances and brush against him when there was no reason to. She hated herself for it but she just couldn't help herself either. He was just so damn delicious with all those arms, and that smile, and how sweet he was with the kids. That night she didn't even attempt a cold shower, she had a gloriously warm bubble bath and let her fingers bring her past the brink of ecstasy as Peeta’s name slipped past her lips. She would have felt guilty but the the sweet boneless relaxation that encompassed her limps afterwards was so blissful; even if it didn't last that long. 

It wasn’t until she stepped back into work cold reality set in again. Katniss Everdeen would have to face Prince Alexander Peter Mellark the Third after using him to fuel her evening fantasies. It was awkward being around him before, now it felt a hundred times worse. Except this time when she got to work, Bristol was there sitting at her desk, looking a little pale but as perky as ever. Disappointment rolled around in her stomach souring the coffee she just drank. She tried not to think too much on her muddled feelings so instead she pushed into catching up on the work that she had missed the last couple of days. When she got tired of handling the drudge of paperwork she decided to finally it was time to check up on Annie and the crew. 

Usually being outside in the fresh air doing field work restored her like no other and for a moment it did, but as she and the crew were working in the Rose garden, the children came marching by, Peeta along with them, and her peace was completely shattered. He was so pretty. The sun glowed through his golden hair and his smile was even brighter. And he had the audacity to wave at her enthusiastically. Even worse he came bounding over to her and handed her a paper flower with a peck on the cheek that barely touched her skin before bounding back to the group again. Every bit of her skin was blushed red hot and she could hear small snickers from the crew behind her.

She dared a glance over at Annie and she just lifted an eyebrow to her, saying, “Don’t look at me, I have less experience than you do. Pretty sure you’re screwed though.” Katniss would have laughed along with Annie if she wasn’t so pissed off at herself. It seemed to be a reoccuring theme. But yet, she safely tucked the flower into her jacket pocket, and when she got back to her desk, she put it right next to her picture of Prim. She bit her lip in attempt to suppress a smile but it came anyway. 

Katniss was never one to be an optimist, but she figured it couldn’t get much worse. He would be mostly indoors with the children program and the next time she saw him walk past where she was working, she’d just go in the opposite direction. She even gave herself a firm pep talk. She could resist his false charms. But she was wrong, it got so much worse. Apparently he would only work in the Children’s center at the beginning of the week, at the end of the week he’d be working with the her crew.

“Wha..what are you doing here?” Katniss said in a high-pitched tone that sounded desperate even to her ears. 

“Haymitch thought it would be good for me to get acquainted with the other working parts of the Conservatory so the next couple of days will be the grounds and next week I’ll be back with the children and in the greenhouse,” he answered. “I hope that’s okay with you,” he followed up almost shyly. 

All Katniss could do was nod dumbly before she stumbled away towards Annie. She swallowed the lump in her throat and ignored the pounding of her heart as she went over the plans they had for the day. Her rising frustration focused on what she was going to do with Peeta, or rather how she was going to make his life as difficult as he made hers. If he wanted to get his hands dirty, she could definitely help him out with that. So she decided to put him on fertilizer duty. There were several beds around the grounds that needed it, so it wasn't like it was an unnecessary job, just not exactly necessary now. But she figured that getting into some real work would be good for the spoiled prince. And if perhaps he realized that volunteering where she worked was perhaps not the best of ideas than even better. 

But apparently nothing could phase Peeta. He picked up the shovel with a cheerful smile and dug in, not once complaining about the smell or the difficult work. Not only that, but the crew loved him! They threw jokes at his unfortunate and smelly predicament without holding anything back and he took it all with a laugh, throwing back his own jabs when he could. And Peeta and Thom seemed like they had known each other all their lives. She was so damn annoyed. To add insult to injury, he would then wave at her enthusiastically, all sweaty and dirty, igniting an ember of desire in her stomach; causing her to become even more annoyed. By the time she reached the end of her work day she was exhausted from the work and from fighting with herself. 

With the low evening light still shining, she carefully put the rest of the tools back into one of the work sheds, relief rolling through her shoulders that she could finally escape to the sanctuary of her car and finally home. A soft knock sounded behind her, instantly tensing her shoulders up. She slowly turned around to find Peeta leaning against the door, a couple of shovels in his arms. 

"Just put down, I'll put them away," she said past the lump that formed in her throat and turned back to the tools that she had been organizing.

"Are you going to ever talk to me?" he asked. She glanced back and found him with his arms crossed, an eyebrow brow raised quizzically. 

She let out a large sigh and turned around fully to face him and crossed her own arms over her chest. "Yes...No...I don't know Peeta. I don't know what to say to you, and you're suddenly here, and I can't get rid of you," she ended up blurting out, confusion clear in every word. 

"You know we don't have to say anything," he answered. There was a glint in Peeta's eyes and she knew that it meant trouble. He pushed away from the doorway, his arms falling to his side as he sauntered towards her. She backed up until her back hit the back wall and put up her hand to stop him. Except he walked one step further until he leaned his hard chest into her palm. His shirt was slightly damp from the work and he was covered in dirt. She wondered if he had ever been so dirty before in his privileged life. And then the smell hit her, he had not escaped unscathed by the fertilizer. 

"Eww Peeta, you stink, you need a shower," she said, wrinkling her nose. 

"Well it's your fault I stink my dear Katniss," Peeta said while he pressed into her further, her hand the only thing keeping them separated, an unsteady barrier.

"I'm not you dear anything." Her voice was low and husky as she looked up at him through her eyelashes, her whole body flushed with heat.

"Katniss you are my dear everything. And unlike me you smell so damn sweet." Her heart beat out of her chest as he leaned in, nuzzling under her ear, before placing a soft lingering kiss on her neck causing her head to automatically fall back. His lips traveled up to her chin before he into her ear "I bet you taste good too. I'll see you tomorrow." And with one last kiss to the corner of her lips he pushed back and sauntered out the door, giving her a perfect view of his well gorgeous butt filling out his jeans. She fell heavily against the the wall, her legs too wobbly to hold her up. The smell of fertilizer and earth lingered in her nose and what did it say about her that it turned her on even more. She hated herself for not hating him at all. 

The long torturous week finally came to an end, to Katniss' relief. She was ready for a weekend very much spent alone, but before the work week was over Friday offered the worst of her torture. Trail work had to be done for the extensive parks around the Conservatory, including getting rid of some felled trees. Peeta insisted on helping the team even though she wasn't sure he was fit enough to keep up with the long grueling labor. But she was very wrong. He was fit, oh so fit. His dirty damp shirt clung to every muscle on his body. She felt like she stepped into some 80's teen movie where everything enters slow-mo. And did he have to wear such a tight tank top? The way his muscles rippled as he hauled wood over his shoulder, chopped the wood into smaller pieces, helped to dig out the roots with the shovel. And every once in a while when she'd come by to check on them he'd send her a wink and a bright smile. But all she could concentrate on was the glistening sweat that beaded on top of his shoulders and how it sparkled in the sun. Somebody up there definitely hated her. 

By 3:00 pm, all concentration gone, she had simply given up and decided to pick up and leave. Most of the work had been done and she needed a really cold shower... again. She was hot, sweaty, and tingling in places she really didn’t want to be. With a deep sigh in Annie’s direction, who returned an understanding look in exchange, she headed down her favorite short cut through the woods to get back to the main building and her car. 

She was not 200 feet in the trail when she felt a hand grab her from behind, spin her around and press her to the nearest tree. His lips were hot and impatient against hers, his tongue eventually working it's way past her lips as one hand grabbed her head tightly. His other hand traveled down the small of her back and went past the line of her shorts to grab her ass and pull her pelvis tightly against his. Everything happened so fast didn't have time to think, just react. She let out a groan against this lips at the sensation of his hardness surging against her and she was so unbelievably wet in moments. This week had just done her in, she couldn’t help but move her hands beneath his tank and to his sides, the muscles tense and hard beneath his sweaty skin. Her right leg traveled up and curled around his hip holding him against her.

“God Katniss, you’re going to be the death of me. You and those shorts,” he groaned against her lips. That beautiful growl in his voice had the unintended effect of snapping her out of her haze.

She pushed him away and slipped under his arm so that she could back away, thrusting out her hand in a feeble attempt to keep him at bay. “Peeta, stay right there. You and your hands and your arms and your chest and those lips....Gah! I can’t think around you. I need to think.”

“Katniss, I’m sorry. You’re right, I didn’t think. I shouldn’t have pushed. But you just left without a word so I had to follow and then just seeing that braid bounce...,” he said as he tried to move towards her again but she just hopped back quickly, waving her her hands in front of her. 

“No Peeta, just don’t. I can’t.” Her eyes softened at the regret in his own, but she looked like a trapped animal, her voice laced with desperation. “I lose all sense when you’re around. Just give me time to think. I...I gotta go.” And with that she turned around and sprinted away from him as fast as she could.

By the time she reached the building she was completely out of breath and was pretty sure she looked completely insane to everyone as she dashed into the building. She tried not to make eye contact with a watchful Haymitch as she grabbed her bag and sprinted back out to her car. She sat in the car trying to gather her breath, her hands shaking so hard she had a hard time turning on the ignition. She was so completely out of sorts she wasn't even sure how she drove herself home safely let alone not take a stray mailbox out. She felt like she couldn’t get out of the dense fog that had descended into her brain. She just wanted to think clearly, rationally, but she couldn’t. When it came to Peeta she lost all sense of reason, or order and it was driving her crazy. 

She hoped she would have calmed down before Madge arrived that evening for their Friday TV night but instead she felt like she was on the edge of sanity; a complete nervous wreck. Her brain told her to stay far away from him. But her heart... damn her heart. Maybe it was time to confide to her best friend.  
\-------------------------------

“You left a lot out didn’t you,” Madge said leveling her a glare. “I want to know everything!”

“Well I’m not going to tell you everything, especially with Prim here,” Katniss answered with a firm glare of her own.

“Hey! I’m right here you guys. And I know stuff. You can tell me sexy stuff,” Prim said petulantly but looking as threatening as an angry bunny.

“Considering you just said ‘sexy stuff’ that would be a no Prim.” Katniss said with a smile of amusement on her lips.

“Well what are you going to do then?” Prim asked, quickly giving up the battle. 

"I just don't know. I can't have another week like this. I might literally go crazy, and we already have mom to look after, you don't need another space cadet in this family," Katniss answered and even she heard the bitterness in her voice.

"Katniss, that's not fair!" Prim protested before her mouth settled into a firm disapproving line, and she knew she had gone too far.

Katniss eyes softened as she took in her sister's sad eyes. "Sorry Prim," before she grabbed her little sister's small hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I just don't know what to do about him, he makes my brain so foggy. I keep just hoping he goes away." Katniss sighed and slumped down into the sofa. 

"Maybe you should go over and talk to him Katniss," Madge interjected sensibly as she chewed on a huge slice of pizza.

"Yeah, and how am I going to do that. There is no way in hell I'm going back to the hotel.”

“Why not?” Prim practically whined. 

“Well number one there will be a ton of reporters, secondly they might not let me up and thirdly, he might not even be there anymore!" she said as she threw up her hands in exasperation. "Who the hell knows where he is..." Katniss trailed off as her eyes widened. She sat up suddenly and jumped off the couch so quickly she startled both girls. She sprinted over to the coat rack by the front door, started to pull on her dad's leather jacket before grabbing her purse. 

"Katniss what am I missing here? What's going on?" Madge said with confusion clearly written on her features.

"Something just came to mind that I should have thought of awhile ago," she answered. "Come follow me," she waved them forward and then when she saw that they were with her, took off with a quick determined step down the street. 

“Where are we going?” asked Madge, out of breath as she struggled to keep up with the determined stride of her friend.

“Sae’s house,” she answered, “I’m so stupid, she said that she had been his nanny. She’s the reason why he’s working at the Conservatory. Those two are probably thick as thieves.”

The walk to Sae’s quaint home was pretty quick since they lived in the same neighborhood and Katniss didn’t hesitate to march up to the door, landing three hard loud knocks, her lips pressed into a firm line. When Sae answered it, her eyes brightened for a moment before they widened in worry as she took in the very unhappy expression of the girl in front of her.

“I want to see him,” she demanded. And as she saw Sae open her mouth to deny her, Katniss softened and said, “Please.”

The old woman simply nodded before turning around and heading inside. All too soon she could hear his distinctive heavy stride coming towards her. Her heart jumped into her throat as he appeared and she struggled to form the words as she took him in. He was in pajama pants and a simple clean white t-shirt, she never seen him look so handsome. 

"Oh my god Katniss he's even more beautiful in person," Madge not so quietly whispered behind her.

"Shhh... you're being too loud but your right," Prim answered none too quietly herself, causing Katniss to cringe. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have them come along.

“Katniss, how did you find me?” he asked perplexed looking at the 3 girls in front of him, but eyes always focusing back on her.

“It wasn’t that hard, I should have figured it out sooner but you make things so confused," she said in frustration.

"I do?" he said hopefully as he stepped forward but she stopped him with a finger on his chest. 

"Stop it right there. I don't know what your plan is, I don't know what you're doing besides frustrating the hell out of me all week," she said, every word emphasized with a hard poke to the chest. He opened his mouth to protest but whatever words he was going to say never came out. 

"Save it," she said. When his mouth turned down in disappointment, she added "Until later. We do need to talk. Tomorrow night, pick me up at my house, Sae knows where it is and we'll go out to dinner. This is not a date."

The smile on his face was so bright it made her heart skip more than a few beats and she was sure her face was painfully red. So before she could make even more fool of herself, she turned around and walked quickly away, the girls hot her heels.

"It's a date!" she heard him yell after her.

She stopped cold in her tracks and yelled "It's not a date!" but as she turned away and continued home, she had to bite the lip to keep the smile from her face. 

"Madge, let's figure out what she's going to wear for this "not a date," her sister quipped next to her. That kept the smile from her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who left notes and likes. You guys keep me going and give me inspiration!


	8. What Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta takes Katniss out but it doesn't start out quite how he expects it.

** Chapter 8 - What Now? **

His leg wouldn't stop bouncing up and down. He really tried to control his nerves, and his body’s reaction to said nerves, but Peeta was failing miserably. He couldn’t even figure out why he was so nervous in the first place. There hadn't been a day in his life where he felt nervous around the opposite sex. There never was a reason to be, there was not one moment that he had to actually try. 'Try' wasn't even in his vocabulary. 

But there he sat awkwardly, sunk partially inside an overstuffed chair, sitting opposite of a thin woman who blinked owlishly at him. Katniss’ little sister Prim was actually the one to enthusiastically meet him at the door before running up the stairs yelling that he was there. She at least quickly introduced him to their mother, who, despite the completely different coloring, resemblance to Katniss was striking. She was a polite woman but not the most talkative person so he found himself filling the silence by telling her a little bit about himself, telling anecdotal stories of his childhood. Eventually he was rewarded with a tiny hint of a smile. But even his chattering didn't ease the tension that increased with each moment that passed as he waited for Katniss and his fate.

After what felt like an eternity, Prim came bounding down the stairs with the energy only one of her age could have, an excited grin plastered brightly on her face. There was a sweetness to her demeanor that automatically put him at ease.

"Sorry for the wait Mr. Prince. Katniss was going to wear the same ol' work jeans and cruddy boots she always does but Madge refused to budge so they were at a complete standstill. That took an extra 20 minutes. And that's not including the struggle over her hair!" Prim chattered cheerfully. 

"That's fine, please don't worry about me. She can take her time," he answered. He hoped he sounded sincere, because he really wanted her to come down, right now. He was anxious to see Katniss and get the date started. Every moment that passed tied his stomach into knots a little bit more. And he probably came up with a hundred different speeches and he still didn't quite know what to say to her. He had never been at a loss for words before, so this was a very first. 

"So what should I call you?" She asked curiously, cocking her head to side like a little bird. "Is it your highness or your majesty? Or Prince Alexander or Prince Mellark?"

He let out a warm chuckle, two spots color forming on the apples of his cheeks. "Please call me Peeta. It's my middle name, and the one I prefer friends call me."

"So, I can be your friend? Really? A prince?" she said in awe. "Rue will never believe me."

Prim then stopped suddenly and squinted her eyes at him suspiciously. "You're not lying to us are you? About the whole prince thing? You could be a fake. Like a double or something, just pretending to be the prince. I hate liars. Vick Hawthorne once told me that I was pretty once and I still haven't forgiven him." 

A small pout formed on her lips and he had to repress the laughter that bubbled up.

"Well you are very pretty so perhaps Vick was being honest with you. And I am certainly not lying to you. As shabby as I may appear right now, I am not a double, I am actually part of the royal family. But I can understand why you may be distrustful," he answered. The pout on her lips just deepened into a frown as she clearly thought it over.

"I don't know. Katniss is the pretty one. You could be teasing me and since I don't know you, I'm not sure if I should take your word for it. Besides, Vick is a boy and you can't trust boys. He can be such a jerk. He always ignores me or teases me. I like Rory much better," she said firmly and for a moment he could see so much Katniss in her demeanor. He couldn't help but sympathize for the poor Hawthorne kid, most likely in love with the clueless Prim. Seems like the Everdeen ladies had quite the effect on the boys around them. 

"So you're really the prince, huh. I mean, you do look like him, except for the messy hair" She continued. "But if you're him, where are you guards. Should you have security or something? Like an entourage? You really don't seem very princely." 

"My mother would completely agree with you. Always the disappointment. I never do behave like she wants me to. She wants me to be more 'stately'. If she saw me right now, hysterical would be a gentle way of putting it. So if you don't tell her, it will be our little secret."

"You're silly!" she giggled as she rolled her eyes, clearly amused. A cute smile sparkled on her lips and she blushed prettily. "But okay, I promise to keep your secret. Just as long as you promise to be good to my sister. She pretends to be all tough, but she has soft squishy insides. And I may be small but I'm very strong."

"Yes ma'am," Peeta answered with a small salute, trying to keep his expression as serious as possible. "I promise." He offered his hand to her and she looked at hesitantly before putting her small one in his large one. Her eyes widened as he turned it over instead of shaking it like she expected, kissing the back of her hand coupled with a stately bow. She couldn’t breath with the giggles he set off. 

“What’s going on here?” he heard from the entryway to the living room. There she stood, taking in the scene warily, a slight frown on her face, but she still looked radiant. No other woman took his breath away, made his chest feel tight and his heart beat faster like she did. She wore a simple navy blue wrap dress with a large sash tied at her side. The skirt ended just at her knees, showing off her beautiful legs. He loved how it swished around her tanned legs as she popped out her hip and folded her arms across her chest. Even though her expression was stern there was a hint of amusement in the turn of her lips.

“I’m grilling him Katniss,” Prim answered proudly. “Somebody has got to do it.”

A sweet smile formed on Katniss’ rosy lips. “Did you little duck? So what’s your assessment?”

“So far he checks out okay but for a true evaluation I need to question him further.” But Prim gave him a little wink and he beamed back at her in return. 

"Darn it. And here I thought we were becoming friends," Peeta said lightly. 

"Yet to be determined. Just make sure she comes back happy." Her eyes flashed with a fierceness, before she bounced over to Katniss and gave her a large squeeze saying, "Have fun you two. Don't come back too late."

"Yes ma'am," Katniss answered with a gentle smile, tweaking her little sister's nose. 

As soon as Prim left, Peeta could see the small of light on Katniss' face go with sister. It didn’t fill him with confidence that the expression that replaced it was that of a person who was looking at a particularly difficult math problem. Peeta gulped hard and slowly got up. Both stood there silently just staring at each other, awkwardness filling up the space between them. 

"Umm, I picked these from Sae's yard for you," he said with as much grace as an awkward high school boy. In his hand he held out a small cheerful bouquet of primroses of various colors, neatly tied with a yellow ribbon. "Her granddaughter Ellie helped me pick out the 'very best ones' for you.” 

Instead of taking the flowers he held out to her, Katniss' fingers lightly stroked the soft petals before she quickly retracted her hand as if she had been burned. "Ooh, I can't. I'm sorry Peeta, I can't take those flowers from you."

"Why not?" he asked, confused, as his hand dropped heavily down. 

"Because, umm... because they mean...because I can't okay," she answered turning around abruptly. Although her back was too him, he could tell she was nervously twisting her hands together and the burning in his chest grew. 

"Because they mean 'I can't live without you' and he used to tell me that every day," a soft voice said from the couch. Both their heads turned to her mother who had been a silent witness the entire time. Her eyes glimmered with warmth, alive for the first time that whole evening. She gave Peeta a knowing smile before getting up and squeezing his hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you," she said before leaving the room quietly and then they were truly very alone. 

Peeta walked up behind, his hand itching to touch her, but he restrained himself. At his heavy footsteps she turned her head slightly towards him but didn’t turn around. "Sae used to grow these in a small garden I helped her tend at her home. She used to say to me 'Son, only give these flowers to a woman whose heart is precious to you because they mean you really love them.' I would then pick the prettiest one and give it to her. She'd just laugh at me and tell me I'd understand one day. Katniss, you're the one that helped me understand what she truly meant."

Katniss turned around abruptly, her eyes wide. "Peeta, just please don't. You can't mean that. You don't even know me," she said shaking her head.

"But I do mean it Katniss. I know you don't trust me now, but I'll earn it. You'll see. But for now will you please accompany me on our first date?” He offered out his arm and his heart beat hard, hoping she would take it. He could kick himself for possibly derailing the date before it even began. Of course she would know the meaning of the flowers. It was too much, too soon, but when he saw the flowers cheerfully spread around Sae’s house, he couldn't resist taking some to her. 

Peeta held his breath as he saw Katniss’ hesitation, but to his relief she raised her hand and put it on his arm carefully, giving him a shy smile. He started to walk them towards the door when she stopped, pulling him back.

"May I have the flowers. I want to give them to Prim. She's named after them and they're her favorite." 

"Of course," he answered, realizing they were still clutched in his hand, so he offered them to her again. As their fingers brushed, even though it was cliche to say, he felt electricity rush up his arm. Her cheeks blushed brightly pink before she quickly sprinted out of the living room. When she came back down the stairs she gave him another shy smile and gestured for them to finally leave the house. His fingers gently touched the small of her back and he quietly sighed at the heat of her skin under the light cloth of her dress.

Sae's old jeep cherokee sat waiting for them in the driveway like an old friend. She was generous enough to let him borrow it so they could go without being noticed. Using one of the extravagant family cars was a sure way of getting noticed. The last thing they needed or wanted was to have a troop of photographers pursuing them. Running away from paps really did not make for a romantic evening. As it was, time was quickly running out for him to spend time with her. Soon both his family and the paps would realize he was no longer at the hotel and then everyone would come pursing him. 

He took her small strong hand in his own as he helped her into the vehicle, reluctant to let it go when she was settled in her seat. Peeta bounded over to the other side of the car and said a silent prayer that this date went well. The only problem was that he had never really even gone on a real date before, so he this was new territory for him. 

"So there is a cute bistro type restaurant I saw just out of town that I thought it would be nice to go to," he said maybe a little too fast as he settled in his seat. He looked over at Katniss and found her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, clearly working something in her head. He waited expectantly and after a moment she looked up at him, and her eyes traveled across his face determination setting in, her lips forming a firm line.

"I want to show you something first," she told him. "It shouldn't take too long." 

Her directions were short but efficient and she was quiet besides telling him when to turn. He quelled the urge to fill the silence of the car with his own words and instead let the sounds of the world wash over them. She sat a little straighter as she was pointing them to a dirt road that wasn't very easy to spot and excitement drummed through the air. At the end he found himself at a lookout that gave them a vista of lush trees swaying on hilltops, the town nestled comfortably in the valley below. Every moment that passed, the sky turned a deeper orange, the sun setting cheerfully in the horizon. 

"Wow, this is amazing." His voice is filled with awe as he took in the beauty around him. "Did you know this shade of orange is my favorite color?" He asked Katniss as he turned to her. 

He actually let out a little squeak as her lips suddenly were on his, and the colors of the sunset were completely forgotten as she filled his senses. Her kisses were frantic, filled with desperation as her tongue licked at his lips and he willingly opened up for her. Her hands went to his head and gripped his hair too tightly as she tried to bring himself closer to her. Her lip gloss tasted like cotton candy and he couldn’t help but suck and nibble the plump flesh. His heart beat fast and hard against his rib cage as their kiss grew longer, deeper, harder. Finally he had to break away for air and she used the opportunity to crawl over the console onto his lap. The space between them and the steering wheel was too snug so they both jumped as the horn went off as she sat back against the steering wheel. It didn’t stop her for too long and her lips were pressing harshly against his as he blindly found the the lever to push the seat back. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that this was all moving too fast but that thought passed as she undulated her hips above his crotch. He became pure instinct as his grip on her waist tightened and he grew painfully hard under her. The moan that she breathed into his mouth was almost his undoing and he pulled her down hard on his lap, her heat seeming to burn him alive. 

He didn't know where he wanted to put his hands, so many parts of her he wanted to touch and grab now that he finally had her again. He finally ended up pressing his hands on the soft skin of her thighs, so easily available under that wonderful skirt that was already pushed up. The strokes of his hands pressed and kneaded the flesh, their path moving higher until he was at the edge of her soft lacy underwear. He tried to hold back but there was no way he could resist the feel of her plump ass, his hands diving beneath the line of the underwear to massage the soft and firm flesh he found. The moan she breathed out in his mouth was his undoing and he pushed her down on him hard. 

“Just rip them off,” Katniss whispered into the shell of his ear. He was not sure why but it was like a bucket of cold water and he pulled away suddenly. Something felt so wrong, it was all too fast his mind finally screamed at him. He didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of before and he knew she’d just end up running away again if they pushed it any further. 

“We need to stop,” he said as he tried to catch his breath. Her eyes widen in confusion, pupils still dilated with lust started to lose their warmth, their expression becoming one of wariness and suspicion. He knew that he was walking a very thin tightrope on to say next. By the feel of her frozen frame and stiff muscles what he said could make him or break him. 

Peeta swallowed hard and grappled with the right words, “As much as I’m really enjoying our time together right now...” emphasizing this enjoyment with a well placed thrust of his hardness against her, causing both their eyes to shut briefly in pleasure. “...I think we should stop before we take it too much further.”

Katniss reacted just like he expected her to. She immediately struggled to try and get off his lap, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger. The only problem was that the more she squirmed against him, the more his already hard cock reacted to the wiggle of her plump bottom. His hands automatically gripped her waist hard in attempt to keep her from moving away. In his gut, he knew that the further they were separated physically the harder it would be to get through to her. He brought his hands up her back and held her to him, not to hard, but just firm enough. His lips kissed her everywhere he could reach, her collarbone, neck, the shell of her ear. And with each kiss she started to lose the fight in her struggle until she softened into his arms. When she was pliant enough, he gently tugged on her hair to tilt back her head to lay lingering kisses on the underside of her chin. His tongue tasting the beautiful saltiness of her skin. 

“Katniss I very much plan on enjoying every single part of your gorgeous body. You don’t even know how often I think about that night.” His eyes course her body as his hands stroke her back. When he looked up into her stormy eyes, he found the anger her was dealing with before replaced with confusion. At least that was something.

“But to really enjoy you, I must really know you. And I want to know more than just your body,” he continued. “I want to know your mind, your motivations, your heart. I want to know who you really are. And I want you to know the real me. I want this to be real."

Her eyes traced his face, seeking the truth, and he held his breath in hope that she found what she needed. When her eyes cleared she leaned her forehead against his, her hands tickling the soft hairs on the back on his neck.

“Peeta Mellark, you are the most frustrating person I have ever met. I think I got you figured out and then you surprise me. I have never been been more confused than when I am with you…” She was at a lost her words as Peeta dragged his tongue up her neck before landing on the sensitive spot just below her ear, sucking it gently. 

“You don’t know the half of it. I’ve never stopped running. From my life, from my family, my responsibilities, everything. Except now. Now, I don’t want to go anywhere, I want to stay right here. Come on Katniss, it’s just dinner.”

“With you it’s not ‘just’ anything,” she answered with a small smile breaking out on her lips as she pulled back to look at him. “I don’t know what I was doing. I just figured I’d give you what we both wanted, get you out of my system and vice versa. But you shot that to hell. What the hell have I gotten myself into?” The laugh she let out was confused but still bright and it was everything. For the first time since that beautiful night, he felt like he had her back, that she was right there with him. 

He leaned up and kissed her top lip then her bottom before pulling away. She licked the taste of him and let out a little hum that she probably didn’t even realize she had done. 

“How about we get some dinner and you stop distracting me with your pelvic sorcery,” Peeta said with a smirk as he wiggled his lips. That was when she really let out a full laugh and he joined right along with her.

“Somebody has been watching too many movies,” she retorted when she finally caught her breath.

Katniss reluctantly lifted off his lap and back to her own seat. He couldn’t help the groan that slipped due to her loss. The state he was left in didn’t help much either.

“Umm, are you going to be okay?” The words seemed like she was concerned but the smile she was trying to hide told otherwise.

“I’ll be okay...eventually,” he answered as he shifted in his seat. “Just give me a moment.”

“Well, maybe I can help you with that...eventually,” she said, sliding her hand up his thigh, but not quite reaching where he wanted.

“Katniss Everdeen, you better stop that right now,” he said roughly, his voice filled with clear frustration. Her beautiful husky laugh rang out again as he started the car and they finally headed back down the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to diana_flynn (on tumblr at dianaflynn22) for all her beta work as well as to everyone who waited patiently for this chapter and gave me encouragement to keep on going. All your kudos and comments are so much appreciated. Thank you!!


	9. Reality Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our lovely Prince takes Katniss on their first official date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive! Boy it took a long time. Sorry about that. I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me and encouraged me. I'm not even close to finish with this story or the rest and will getting down to it. Feedback is always welcome. Thanks!

** Chapter 9 - Reality Check **

“Bastian!” Echoed across the vast grand room from the ornate doorway. The man at the head of the conference table visibly cringed at the sound of her piercing voice. She may not have said it loudly, but all the same, it commanded everyone’s attention. Next came the sound of her sharp heels, clicking fiercely on the marble floor as she marched towards him. She stopped abruptly in front of his Highness Bastian Frederic Mellark the III and threw a pile of newspapers and magazines in front of him.

“Your son is a complete disgrace. He’s a stain on the family name and this is all your fault for being so indulgent with his whims. You need to fix this now.”

“Well darling, he’s your son too if you can recall. Why don’t you go and deal with it. If you haven’t noticed, I’m busy a the moment so I can’t just go off looking for our prodigal son. Besides, let the boy be a boy. He needs to work it out of his system,” her husband answered her, calm as could be. Clearly he was used to her many outbursts. 

“If we let him free, he’d probably be seen with every slut in the nation. Bastian, he barely had any clothes on. If you haven’t forgotten, I’m currently planning the state dinner with dignitaries who will view us as a laughing stock! Even that ridiculous new queen of Genovia will no doubt be ridiculing us, and she can barely walk down stairs without falling on her face!” He cringed at her shrill voice, each word more heated than the last. 

“Minerva dear, you take things too seriously. This will all be forgotten as soon as there is the next celebrity scandal. The masses have the attention spans of a gnat.” 

Those seated around him looked uncomfortably at the family squabble in front of them. Any time someone attempted to get up, the king would just wave his hand to sit back down. It was clear the argument was just going in circles when finally the man on Bastian’s right let out a large annoyed sigh, swept back the golden blond hair that was falling in his face and in a bored tone said, “How about I go. He won’t listen to either of you anyway.” Every head turned into his direction but he was not in the least bothered by the attention. 

“Are you sure son?” Bastian asked. “We could use your help on this. I don’t want your mother to get to stressed on such a ridiculous event.” 

“Riley, that would be wonderful. And with Graham off at the Peace Council, clearly you’ll be the best choice to handle this.” Affection glowed in her eyes at her favored middle son and she visibly softened, causing a sigh of relief to ripple through the other men sitting around the conference table. 

“Don’t worry, it will be no problem. I’ll easily wrangle the idiot in. Besides I could use some time off in the country,” he said, giving her a charming smile. “Come on mother, let’s have some lunch and everything will feel worlds better in no time. Especially after a martini. Father, I’ll catch up with you later this evening.”

As he smoothly lifted himself out of his chair, he offered his arm to his mother who gratefully took it and started heading out of the room, paying no more attention to the very relieved people they left behind.

“Thank you Rye. Please just put some sense in him. If you can’t just drag him back. And bring Clove along with you. In the least she can go in front of the media and show them that everything is normal and happy.”

“But they aren’t normal and happy. The last time they saw each other, she threw a knife at his head. I’m not sure that’s the best idea,” he answered as he closed the door behind him. 

“The public doesn’t know that darling. They all love the idea of Alexander courting Lady Clove. It’s good for him, and for us. Besides she will remind him about what he’s missing out on.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he mumbled under his breath. 

****************

“And there Sae found me, covered from head to toe in mud passed out on my mother’s favorite antique and very expensive couch. Needless to say she was completely horrified, panicked, and ready to whoop my ass,” Peeta described animatedly as he waved his fork through the air. Katniss leaned forward, eyes wide, completely transfixed as he told her adventures from his childhood.

“What did she do? Were you in a lot of trouble? What happened when your mom found out?” She couldn’t help but flood him with questions, as she leaned even closer, her fork suspended mid-way to her mouth.

“Well, Sae had been besides herself with worry since I was missing for so long and I was awakened by her hugging me tightly. She’ll deny it now but there were even a few tears in her eyes. Once she came to her senses she gave me a knock upside the head and dragged me into the shower berating me the whole time about how she was too old for this shit and she’d blame me if she got a heart attack.” A mirthful light shining in his eyes from the memory. 

“But how about the couch? Your mother!” she exclaimed, dropping her fork entirely and forgetting herself so much she grabbed his arm.

Peeta threw a hearty laugh that warmed her stomach nicely. “This shows you the beauty that is Sae. Don’t forget this all started because my father and brothers went on a hunt and they weren’t expecting their youngest son to follow just to save the fox. So she sneaks out, grabs one of his hounds and coerces the dog on to the couch with a treat. So my mom walks in, the dog snoring on the couch, paw prints everywhere and never the wiser about the actual truth. She completely lost it on my father. You could hear her yelling at him for days! She may have thrown a few breakable items at his head.”

Katniss let out a large laugh and covered her mouth in embarrassment but she couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up anyway. “Oh my god, I shouldn’t laugh at your poor dad. I wish I could have seen it. They seem so dignified whenever they’re on TV. I would feel bad for him if he wasn’t such an...ass...umm jerk to you earlier in the day,” she corrected.

“My father was and is still an ass, despite popular public decision. I would feel bad about how much my mother rails into him if he hadn’t let her do the same to us all these years. He could never be bothered to participate in our lives.” The smile fell from her lips at his words and she was compelled to reach over and grab his hand to give it a soft squeeze. He looks up at her with a grateful sweet smile. 

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to make the conversation take such a serious turn. The story was meant to be funny,” he said bashfully, reaching out to take her hand.

“It was funny,” she answered, her fingers dancing round his playful ones. “You should write The Adventures of Little Prince Peeta, I’m sure that’s not the only story you have under your belt. But I don’t want you to feel like you need to entertain me all the time. I want to hear the other stuff too.”

“Thanks. I mean, I feel stupid complaining. People don’t really want to hear poor little rich boy stories, so I try to stay as ‘happy’ as possible,” he said using air quotes. 

“That is definitely not me. I never try to be something I’m not. What you see is what you get, grumpy Katniss Everdeen. I don’t know how I ever made let alone kept any friends with my surly behavior,” she joked. 

“I like your surly behavior,” he said simply. His hand automatically went up and gently stroked her cheek and he could feel the heat bloom under his fingertips as she leaned into his hand before she abruptly sat back away from him. He would have been disappointed if the evening hadn’t been going so well.

“Your parents really do seem awful though. Did they forget you a lot?” she asked.

“More than you could possibly imagine. Mother had her heir and her spare. There just wasn’t any desire for a third child, let alone a boy. A girl would have at least been something. But little old Peeta, completely useless. She took it out on me a lot, verbally and physically, but who’s going to stop her. Besides Sae of course who isolated me as much as she could.” It felt good to confess all of this to her. Nobody really cared to listen in the past but she listened with her whole body, her silver eyes fixed steadily on his. He took a deep breath before he continued. “It’s easy to let my father off easy, to say he was never a part of it. But when he turned and walked away like nothing bad was happening, it hurt even more. He never has once acknowledged what I went through. He just smiles jovially all the time. People think he’s perfect. Well, I know that he definitely is not.”

Silence fell over them as the words hung heavily in the air. Katniss found herself reaching over and grabbing his large hand tightly in her own and gave him a tight smile before her eyes diverted back to the table. If Peeta had the strength to share, then so could she. She took a deep breath and started into her own story.

“I was luckier than most. Sure we were poor but we were poor and perfect, our happy little family. I had the innocence of youth on my side. I knew we had less than others but I really didn’t mind. Especially when I was off hunting with my dad in the forest, making flower chains in the meadow by our house, swimming in the lake. And then it all came crashing down. When my father died…” Katniss had to pause, the lump in her throat making it hard to continue. Even after all these years it was hard to talk about it. But this time it was Peeta squeezing her hand, encouraging her to continue.

“When he died, my mother died along with him. It was like nothing existed outside of her pain. We didn’t exist. We were completely abandoned by her. I wish I could say I was able to keep us going, but social services noticed. I have never been so scared then when they ripped us out of that house. I was so angry. Even after we were able to go back home, I held on to it. Hell, I’m still angry. It’s so hard to to let it go even though I’ve tried.”

“I told you I felt stupid complaining, especially after a story like that,” he joked comfortably.

“Don’t Peeta,” she said stopping him. “I didn’t want to demean your experience. I just wanted you to know that I understand what it feels like to be abandoned too.”

“I’m sorry, I’m good at making bad jokes at the wrong time,” he said hanging his head. Even in the low light of the restaurant she could tell that his cheeks were turning bright red. He eventually lifted his head and gave her a sheepish smile before asking, “So how long were you in foster care? Did you end up somewhere bad?” 

“Actually, we got lucky. We ended up with Haymitch and his wife Maysilee. He may be a surly son of a bitch, but he cared. And Maysilee was an angel to put up with me.” There was a barest hint of a smile on her face as she recalled the patience it took to coax her out of her hard shell.

“Wait, isn’t Haymitch your boss?” Peeta asked confused.

“That would be correct. But no nepotism was involved. I worked my way up from the very bottom and got a degree to boot,” she defended.

“Hey, I’m not one to judge. Prince here. I was literally handed a silver spoon.” This time they both let out a laugh at the corny joke, releasing some of the tension that had built from sharing parts of their painful past.

“We’re quite a fucked up little pair aren’t we,” Katniss joked as she looked back down at her dessert.

“We sure are,” Peeta said softly and as she glanced up at him, feeling trapped in his penetrating gaze. She couldn’t help but be drawn towards him and found instant relief when his soft lips gently caressed hers. Before the kiss could go any further, he sat back, and licked his lips. “You are very addictive Katniss Everdeen. But I promised a real date.”

Even though she had to swallow her disappointment she still laughed in return. “I hate to admit it, but you’re not much better. You better stop looking at me the way you do or we’ll never get through this date without being arrested for indecency.” With those words, Peeta shifted uncomfortably in his chair and a smirk came to her lips. 

"Well then Miss Everdeen, what do you want to talk about next. We've covered a lot of ground already." And he wasn't kidding, she couldn't believe how much time they had spent just talking. The whole evening had been just as easy as that magical night under the light of the moon and twinkling lights. The intimate restaurant they had ended up at was quiet, almost too quiet and the waitress was completely oblivious to moving in any way of a speedy manner. Which actually worked out to their benefit. It left them more time just to get to know each other and enjoy each other's company without the rush of having to leave or worry that he would be recognized. 

"Well, I guess now that you ask..." She began hesitantly as she worked her lower lip. "Maybe you can tell me about why your friends are such assholes?"

Peeta's laughed so loud it echoed across the walls of the empty restaurant. The waitress looked at them curiously before continuing to wipe down the table she was working on and the only other patron shook his head before going back to his soup. 

"Well I guess I can rely on you being blunt," he said humorously. 

Katniss in turn lightly blushed, ducking her head briefly before looking back up. "Well they were! You're lucky I'm even talking to you after how shitty they were. Why are you even around them?" She defiantly said.

“They’re not all that bad…” he started but couldn’t finish as her look said ‘really?’ to him. “Okay so maybe a little bad.” But her incredulous glare increased so much, he finally gave up. “Alright! A lot bad. Well at least Glimmer, Cato, and Marvel. But they are Clove's friends. It’s not exactly easy to make new friends when everyone wants something from you.”

“Who’s Clove?” she couldn’t help but ask. His expression instantly became pinched, any lightness falling away.

“My ex. Sorry, I just assumed that you would know who she was,” he answered tersely. 

“In pictures is she the one who constantly looks like she ate a sour lemon?” At the nod of his head she said, “Ahhh, well that makes sense then. She doesn’t seem to be the most pleasant person.”

“That’s a understatement,” Peeta said with a low chuckle. “She’s not. I met her in school and my mother not only approved of the match but greatly encouraged the relationship. Status wise she may be an excellent match, but in reality we were far from good for each other.” His expression darkened more and he took a deep breath before he continued. “All we seemed to do was fight, constantly. I doubt she even liked me. If we weren’t fighting, we were partying and I would be completely blitzed just to numb everything. So many days lost. I was beginning to wonder what was real or not. So I broke it off and then I was exiled here until I came to my senses. The three stooges showed up right afterwards. No doubt to keep an eye on me.”

“How about the other two that were with you? The male model and the mouthy bitch who was hitting on Gale?" As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Katniss became beet red. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk shit about your friends. It's just that I can't forget what she said 'I lost the bet last night. I thought you looked like an ice princess and I didn't think he'd pry your dimpled knees apart. I guess he was right, no one can say no to a prince.' Or something like that,” she said barely being able to look at him, a fresh wash of pain overcoming her at the memory.

"I am going to kill her," he said through clenched teeth. His anger startled her and she snapped her head up to look at him. Peeta ran his hand anxiously through his hair before he continued, "I was going to say those two weren't that bad but it's going to be hard to convince you considering."

"Well why don't you tell me about them. I can't promise anything, but I am curious about what you actually like about them. Do they have any redeeming qualities?"

"I know it didn't seem like it, but they're actually some of the best people I know." Katniss gave him such a hard side-eye, Peeta couldn't help but feel the trickle of cold sweat break out. This was going to be a hard sell for sure. 

"I guess they always want to protect me, especially from girls who like the title more than the man. They've also seen a lot of crap from me so I guess that they get a little mouthy."

"There is being mouthy and then there is being disrespectful Peeta. Even a booty call deserves respect. She is still a woman with feelings," she retorted with a firm look.

"I hope you know that you are definitely not a booty call or a one-night stand or any of that Katniss," Peeta blurted out, his eyes pleading with her for understanding. 

Her gaze was stern before it suddenly broke with a smile, a soft laugh and pink cheeks. "I know Peeta. At least I'm starting. Especially considering, well everything..." 

Peeta's face brightened with hope and he couldn't help but get up and move to her side of the booth, take her soft warm face between his hands and give her a soft lingering kiss on her lips. When he lifted up, she licked her lips and gave him a shy smile in return. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly as he reached over to grab his beer, fiddling with the label.

"So Finn and Jo. Okay so they can be cocky assholes, but under all that they are good people. They tell me how it is, and don't try to kiss my ass. They've been through their own shit so that's why they've built hard shells. They can be annoying but I like them how they are."

"Well, I can't guarantee that I'll like them, but I will at least try to give them a chance," she said begrudgingly. Her heart beat nervously at the thought of meeting them again and seeing only their scorn but she was learning that she could actually trust Peeta and she just hoped that it was not misplaced. 

They fell in a comfortable silence as they finished their desserts side-by-side, taking swipes off each other’s plates, and giving each other soft smiles. He refused to let go of her hand and she wasn’t going to complain about it. Every part where their fingers connected tingled deliciously and she found herself free-falling back into the feelings on that beautiful night by the lake. It didn't help that whenever he looked at her with his piercing blue eyes she felt electricity running up and down her body. 

Eventually they were the only people in the restaurant so they decided it was time finally leave their little sanctuary and get back out to the real world. As he pulled in front of her house, they sat there, awkwardly stilted, both reluctant to get out of the car. She warred with herself on what to say to him and was finally resolved to just say goodnight and make a sprint for house. "Do you want maybe come inside? We can watch a movie?" She said, surprising both herself and Peeta.

As soon as the words left her mouth mortification ran swiftly through her. Asking a prince if he wants a movie? Something so pedantic? But the horrifying moment was brief because his face split with an excited smile and he eagerly nodded his head before popping out of the car and running to the other side to open the door. He pulled her out so fast she let out a squeak which turned into laughter as he jogged her to the door. When they got there, before she could grab the key out of her purse he turned her around and pressed her against the door, arms locking her in.

Peeta bent close to her and asked, “Are you sure it’s okay that I come in? I won’t disturb Prim or you mom?”

“They’re both asleep upstairs. Besides, this is just a movie, got it. If you’re good maybe I’ll make some popcorn,” she answered, a hint of a smile quirking her lips.

“Got it. Just a movie. But if I’m really really good, maybe I can get a goodnight kiss?” 

“I think we can work something out,” she replied before lifting her hands that were previously pressed against the wall and pulling his head down to her lips, both lingering in the sweet moment. And when they finally pulled apart, they both smiled against each other lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to diana_flynn (on tumblr at dianaflynn22) for all her beta work as well as to everyone who waited patiently for this chapter and gave me encouragement to keep on going. All your kudos and comments are so much appreciated. Thank you!!


	10. Oh Brother!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss finds herself falling deeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks goes to my beta Diana_Flynn and to everyone who keeps me going with this story. I appreciate all your feedback!

** Chapter 10 - Oh Brother! **

Katniss was in deep deep trouble. She knew it before, but the reality settled on her like a heavy stone being plopped into a smooth lake as she emerged from her sleep. All night her dreams seemed to take her back to the evening before. Peeta and her had eventually settled down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and an incredibly ridiculous action movie starring Finnick flashed obnoxiously at them. For the first few minutes they were very successful at paying attention to the explosions and car chases, but as the time ticked on, they kept sliding their eyes towards each other. Then came the smiles as they pretended that they were ignoring each other and actually watching the movie. This was quickly followed by a few popcorn kernels flying playfully through the air. It was Katniss who threw the first kernel, but she couldn’t help it after Peeta had not so subtly yawned and threw his arm over her shoulder. His move was so cheesy she spit out popcorn in laughter. So of course she had to toss some on him in return. 

It all went downhill after that. Soon it was an all out popcorn war and both of them struggled to contain their laughter so they wouldn’t disturb her sleeping family upstairs. Somehow in all their wrestling, Katniss ended up on top of Peeta as she held his hands down next to his head. Considering the muscles that were bulging under his tight T-shirt she was pretty sure he let her win, but she wasn’t complaining. And neither was he. Especially when she whispered “I win,” before dipping down to kiss him. His lips were warm and delicious, and it was so easy to become addicted to their taste and feel. Every time she would lift up to end their heated session, she would get drawn down again by those alluring lips for another kiss, then another. 

She wasn’t sure how long they lasted like this, just lingering kisses and roaming hands. Legs slipped against each other, shirts rode up to expose hot flesh, his hands dipped delicously below her pants line, but nothing more than that. It was sublime torture that made her skin pebble in anticipation. Katniss wasn’t sure if she had ever made out like this before in her life. Actually she was certain she hadn’t. There had been those awkward tongue thrusts from Darius Miller that was like a lizard catching a fly and god how she wanted to erase those memories. Nice guy, but not her best choice in boyfriends ever. But Peeta was on a completely different level. His kisses made time completely disappear and before she knew it the movie was over and and she hadn't seen but 5 minutes of it. It even took them awhile to notice that the room had become silent after the credits had stopped rolling. 

She blinked at the dark TV screen a couple times, confused before looking back at him to find his lips puffy, hair a mess, cheeks pink with color. He looked thoroughly ravaged and she couldn’t help her tiny smug smile as she realized she was the one who did all that to him. Miss uncultured common Katniss Everdeen just made out with Prince Peeta like they were horny teenagers and by the cheshire cat smile spread on his face, he didn’t seem to mind one bit. 

Her hands found purchase on his firm chest as she tried to push herself up and off of him before she totally lost her mind, but he was having none of it. Instead of letting her get up, his hands traveled down her back to her ass, fingers wandering under the line of her lacy underwear before pushing her down on his impressively hard dick as he pushed up. She bit her lip as she repressed a moan, as heat rushing up from her center all the way up to the top of her head. Every nerve ending tingling fiercely and she was impossibly wet. If was possible his grin got even better as he gave her a knowing look.

“Where are you going my little Kat, I’m not done with you yet,” and to prove his point, his fingers rubbed the cheeks of her ass, moving steadily down to her juncture. Her eyes closed in the heady pleasure, it was so easy to give into his ministration so she had no other choice but to jump off of him very quickly.

“Oh no you don’t mister,” she said firmly as she held out her hand towards him as if it would help to keep him away. “We agreed that we were going to take this slow.”

“Damn it, that was my idea wasn’t it?” But he didn’t bother to wait for the answer as he grabbed her hand and brought her fingers to his mouth, taking the time to kiss each fingertip before saying, “You’re so delicious, you make a man lose all common sense.”

“Peeta…” she tried to warn but it came out breathily. He then tugged her hard so she fell back in his lap and his lips descended onto her as he pried her mouth open with his talented tongue. He kissed her long and deep, exploring every surface before he stopped suddenly and pulled back. His large hand traveled smoothly up her leg and reached her mons where he cupped her firmly but didn’t move any further. She shivered hard and her brain completely stopped working. 

Then suddenly he stopped, pulling his hands away, and all she felt was his warm breath fanning across her lips. “But you’re right, we should stop. Slow and steady wins the race as they say,” he said, his voice low and guttural. She blinked back at him dumbly, completely incapable of answering. 

As the fog cleared from her eyes she could see the devilish grin curling his lips again. He was completely wicked. She was barely able to get the protest past her lips before he slid out from underneath her and stood up, leaving her mouth flapping useless. 

“Katniss you can test any man’s will. This was either the best or worst idea I ever had,” he said before bending back down and grabbing the sides of her face to bring her lips up for four successive lingering kisses. He then licked his lips and breathed out, “Delicious,” kissed her one more time and then with a wink was out the door. She was left so impossibly turned on, she didn’t know what to do with herself. She felt like she was vibrating from the tips of her fingers and down to her toes. As quietly as she could she crept back upstairs to her bedroom and paused briefly outside Prim’s door but found only only blessed silence. 

Even though her bed was warm and welcoming it didn’t help to soothe her frazzled nerves. There was no position comfortable enough. She flopped back and forth in frustration and knew there was only one thing that would make her feel better. Her heart beat heavily in her ears as she listened for any noise from the other bedrooms that indicated that they were awake but there was nothing except for the soft sound of a cricket in the distance. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes letting the rest of the world fall away and slid her hands underneath under her panties. But in place of her slim fingers she imagined rough hands moving across her skin, his hot breath whispering into her ears, his penetrating gaze as he suckled a breast, and his thick cock as it moved fiercely within her. She came within moments. The last thought she had before falling asleep was the same that woke her up, she was in deep deep trouble. 

She nuzzled her face in the warm pillow reluctant to leave the comfort of her bed, not wanting to face the reality of her intense night with Peeta and the repercussions of what it could mean. On the other hand she was extremely hungry and the smell of pancakes coming from downstairs made her stomach roar fiercely in anger. Pancakes? Who would be making pancakes? Her head popped up from the pillow lightening fast, messy hair falling everywhere. It was definitely not her “too busy to cook” mother and Prim could set cereal on fire how adept she was in the kitchen. Something was definitely very wrong. But why would someone break into her house to make pancakes?

The blankets were annoyingly tangled around her legs as she tried to scramble out of bed but only succeeded in falling out of bed making herself more flustered. But it didn’t stop her too long as she grabbed her robe and hurried downstairs. She headed to the kitchen almost at a run and stopped dead at the doorway, bracing herself from the hard break. There at the stove stood Peeta in jeans and a snug t-shirt flipping pancakes. Prim was sitting on a stool next to him chattering away while munching on a piece of bacon. She must have made some sort of noise because they both whipped their heads in her direction, bright smiles stretching across both their faces.

“Katniss!” they both exclaimed simultaneously. 

A smile cracked the confused expression on her face as she took in the unexpected domestic scene.

“What is going on here?” 

“What do you think? Breakfast!” Prim exclaimed happily before she bounced over to her sister, grabbed her hand and pulled her further into the kitchen.

“When...how...what?” Is all she is able to get out.

“This morning...he knocked on the door...you were sound asleep.” Prim answered her sister with laughter riddling her sentence. 

Peeta looked up from the griddle with a sheepish smile on his face. “I hope you don’t mind. I wasn’t able to sleep well last night. And I thought I would surprise you.”

“Well you’re just full of surprises. I didn’t think a prince was capable of making pancakes.” The joke comes out with a chuckle as she was finally able to let herself relax a little and perhaps even enjoy the surprise. Especially considering how delicious the spread looked. Included with pancakes and bacon were breakfast potatoes, eggs, orange juice and coffee. He definitely was nothing if not prepared.

“Needless to say, I spent a lot of time with Sae in the kitchen. She wasn’t our main chef but she loved cooking too much to leave it behind entirely.”

He took off the last pancake and approached her cautiously, waiting for some kind of permission to greet her with affection. She was embarrassed to be so open in front of her little sister but at the same time she couldn’t resist the warmth of his strong arms so she gave him the barest of nods and it was all he needed to envelope her into a tender hug. He gave a sweet kiss on top of her forehead and she could feel the blush blossom on her cheeks as she realized that Prim was taking in their affection with an amused smile on her lips.

“Oh stop it!” Katniss exclaimed.

“What? I’m not doing anything. Just enjoying this nice morning,” Prim replied innocently. 

“Yeah right. I know things are going on in your head and you just stop it right now,” Katniss said as she approached her sister and started poking her in the side. Happy giggles filled the bright kitchen as the sisters quickly grappled with each other before Peeta announced that breakfast was getting cold. With contrite expressions and a couple more elbow nudges they both settled at the kitchen table and Peeta brought over plates flowing over with food. He then squeezed in on the bench next to Katniss and bumped her over with his hip eliciting a fleeting scowl on her face which he promptly kissed off. She blushed even brighter this time and swore to herself that someday she wouldn’t have such an embarrassing reaction to every little thing he did. 

The conversation flowed easily as Prim caught them up on what was going on at school and as she interrogated Peeta for information about his “glamorous” life at the Capitol. She couldn’t remember the last time there had been such a cheerful domestic scene in their house. Not since before their father had passed away, a time always to painful to think about. Meals with their mother were usually terse and quiet and poor Prim was left with the heavy task of filling in the silence. Being here like this with Peeta and Prim she realized how much she missed having life in their house.

She had just swiped her last piece of pancake into the pool of syrup on Peeta’s plate when the house phone rang. Prim sprung up and grabbed it from the wall where she cheerfully announced, “Hello! Everdeen household!” Her eyes widened as she listened to who was ever exclaiming on the other line. “Okay will do,” she answered then hung up the phone abruptly hung up the phone and turned back towards them. 

“That was Madge. She says we have to watch the entertainment news,” she said as she yanked Katniss up from her seat.

“But why? That show is so crappy and Claudius Templesmith is one of the most obnoxious man I have ever heard, second to Caesar Flickerman” Katniss complained as Prim dragged her into the living room, Peeta following close behind them looking amused. 

“She saw a promo for a segment that’s coming up, ummm, maybe we should just see it.” Prim worried the bottom of her lip and Katniss felt her stomach drop. That little tug on the lip was never a good sign.

“Prim, just tell us. I don’t even know what we’ll be looking for,” she said, a slight whine tinting her tone. 

“Oh you’ll know. Both of you will, wait here it comes…”

As Peeta’s face flashed on screen right behind the right shoulder of the colorful Claudius, the flesh Peeta threw his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close to his side as if anchoring her from bolting. 

“Well, we have an update to the delicious story of Prince Alexander Mellark running out after the mysterious woman almost entirely naked. It seems the mystery has been solved! Today Prince Ryeland was seen entering Panem hotel with none other than Duchess Clove Covington. As we all know, Ms. Covington has been an on and off again amour of Prince Alexander for years. We can only guess that their romance is on again! But what caused her to leave in such a rush! Enquiring minds want to know and we’ll update you as soon as we find out.”

There were no words, Katniss didn’t have any idea how to process what she just saw. Part of her was relieved that the press hadn’t found out that it was her so she was safe for now. But their was another other part was starting to feel the heat of jealousy rise up that another woman had a stronger claim on Peeta. 

“Fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck…” Peeta started to curse beside her.

“Peeta! We have Prim in the room,’ she scolded.

“I’m hardly a baby Katniss,” Prim said, as she rolled her eyes. “But what does that mean. Why did they say it was this Clove person. You are way prettier by the way.”

“It means that the PR machine has begun to spin. It means that my family is not happy with me right now and they are trying to clean up anything they perceive as messy. And it especially means that somebody is going to descend upon us soon fix things up,” Peeta growled out, his formerly cheerful demeanor dissolving in an instant. His words were so ominous, the girls couldn’t help but look at the door to see if those people would be descending on them at that exact moment. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and they all jumped.

“You get it,” Katniss and Prim ordered each other. 

After a standoff that didn’t seem like it would be breaking anytime soon, Peeta rolled his eyes and walked over. HIs hand hovered over the door cautiously while the knocking continued incessantly before he yanked it open. To everyone’s relief it was just Madge who came flying through the door. 

“Did you see it?! I can’t believe they said it was that bitch. She doesn’t even look like you. What the actual fuck?!” She exclaimed in a very un-Madge like way before finally spotting Peeta and blushing furiously. “Oh! Sorry for my language Prince Alexander.”

An amused smile curled on Peeta’s lips breaking some of his tension. He gently took Madge’s hand and left a soft peck on her knuckles, “No need for apologies Madge, it is exactly what I’m feeling right now. And please, call me Peeta” Madge visibly melted and let out a girlish giggle. Heavy eye rolling was definitely needed and Katniss didn’t hold back. Peeta did his best to not to laugh at the girls but he didn’t quite succeed. 

“Come on Madge, let me get you some breakfast, they probably need to talk privately,” Prim interjected, pushing an objecting Madge through the swinging doors. 

Silence descended on the pair, neither knowing quite what to say. Finally Katniss indicated for him to come towards her and she pushed him on the couch before sitting on his lap feeling the need to claim him as her own. She laid her head on his shoulder unable to look at him and instead concentrated on his right hand in hers.

“Peeta, I’m just starting to get used to you and me with you. I didn’t know how I felt about the whole media thing in the first place and now Clover has entered the picture...I just...where do I fit in all of this? I’m starting to get the impression that they want you with her. She’s so much more...sophisticated than me. Maybe they’re right. Maybe, you should go home…” she trailed off, hating herself for voicing that outloud. 

“Do you want me to go home Katniss?” he asked. When she didn’t answer, he gently brought her chin up and looked into her swirling grey eyes. “Do you want me to go home?”

“No,” she answered simply and honestly.

“Then the the answer to where you fit in all of this is right here in my arms. No matter how cheesy that sounds. I have never felt so right then when I am with you. Give us a chance Katniss to grow. We’ll figure it out. And I’ll make sure their plan backfires. While the press runs around like fools after Clove we’ll stay under the radar and it’ll gives us a little more time to...just be us.” 

Katniss let out a low laugh, “Good point. I’ve never had a decoy before”

“There is no comparison,” he said right before he kissed her.

After a few mind numbing blissful minutes, she pulled back, “Yeah, about that. You’re gonna have to spill on that relationship. I need to prepare and know what I’m headed for.”

Peeta was just about to reply when his phone buzzed. He lifted them both up just enough to grab it from his bottom pocket. She could see his face go white and she squeezed his hand a little tighter. 

“What is it? She asked

“It’s Sae. Turns out I’m not the only Mellark to show up at her door. Rye’s there right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who left kudos and to shannon17, deltagirl, Loueze, aaltena26, jroseley, KSUHGF, shellibug, blueforgray, bb1818, Pikelet184, spuffy_noelle, bethylark, honeylime, SparklesMartini, colleenegan25, stella, and juststella for your comments. I apologize for my terrible ability to reply and will try better next time!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as drivebyanon and my beta as dianaflynn22


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